Flipped around
by Ali989969
Summary: AH/ highly OOC. What would happen if Eric was the calm, shy guy and Sookie was the wild child that captured his heart?  Rated M first for language, lemons to come later
1. Chapter 1

****A/N: This is my first published attempt at fan fiction, so reviews are welcomed and encouraged. I wanted to see what would happen if the personalities went in the polar opposite directions. Please review!**

Chapter 1

Eric watched as Sookie alternately grimaced and flashed him her blinding smile. He'd known for years that she had guts and attitude, but he never thought she'd get a tattoo. Even though she usually didn't give a damn about what anyone else thought, her gran (God rest her soul) would have ripped her a new one. Now that Jason had gotten married and was expecting his fist baby with Michele, he didn't pay attention to Sookie the way he used to. In response to lack of responsible supervision, her wild tendencies went from being given a long leash to running free with abandon.

She'd tried bright purple streaks in her light blonde hair. Aside from a few raised eyebrows at the bar when she hung out, there was no reaction. So she upped the ante. She had tried piercing her tongue, but hadn't been able to stand the clicking the barbell made against her teeth when she talked, so she had taken it out before the swelling had gone down. She'd gone back to the piercing studio and gotten a ring through her eyebrow. Still, she got no more reaction then a few sideways looks.

At the sound of sprays from a squirt bottle, Eric came out of his reverie. The heavily decorated tattoo artist sprayed water over his work, a wreath of twisted and detailed flower stems and tiny blood-red rose buds that now wrapped around her ankle, and patted it dry with a paper towel. Sookie looked intensely at her new body art. "Well, Eric, what do you think?" she asked, holder her foot out to him so he could see.

He held her foot and looked at the intricate design. "Very pretty. Feminine and delicate, like..." his voice trailed off. He had about to say "like you", but he know that she wouldn't have liked that at all. He's known her for 10 years and he could only think of a handful of times that she had allowed anyone, even him, to see her as delicate and fragile.

He still remembered meeting her. He had been a senior at Bon Temps High School and had been heading to his locker after morning football practice in October. He came across his teammate Jason being reamed out by a tiny little thing, with wavy blonde hair almost down to her waist. His appreciative eye noticed that she had developed well. She was standing on her tiptoes, railing and screaming at the taller boy. Jason's exploits with the girls of Bon Temps High were locker room legend and Eric had thought that one of Jason's conquests had come back to bite him... possibly literally. As his comrade on the field, Eric felt me might need to come to Jason's defense. As he headed closer, the little spitfire stopped yelling and started swinging.

"You shit! You fucked Miss Lewis? And now she's getting fired!" She punctuated each word with a slap or a punch. Eric froze a few feet away. Jason had screwed a teacher? That was an all-new level for the infamous horn dog. But still, he felt he should try to defend his best wide receiver from this tiny, violent creature.

"Sook, damn it! Stop hitting me! I'm 18. It was perfectly legal. I told her it was just for fun. How was I supposed to know one of her so-called friends would go to the school board?"

"Jase, what part of 'She is a teacher' do you not understand? You couldn't keep it in your pants for a few months until you graduated? For fuck's sake, Jason! You should know better! have you screwed so many of the students that you had to fish for new ass in the Administration pool?" She smacked his arm hard and he winced. "Now who am I going to get to tutor me in trig? She was free and you know Gran won't want to pay for a tutor. By God, I am going to graduate early and get the fuck out of this one-horse, shithole town as soon as possible!" Eric figured out the little hottie was Jason's sister. He was surprised. She looked like a teeny bopper or a mall rat, but she swore like a sailor. But luck was on his side. Along with being a quarterback with an arm like a cannon, he was also a closet math whiz. Thinking quickly, he come up with a cover for his approach.

"Stackhouse, get your playbook. I want to go over a switch with you on Number 12 before practice this afternoon."

"Yeah man, let me get it from my locker. Wait here. Have you met my my little sister Sookie?" Jason said, looking grateful, and took off at a slow jog down the hall.

Eric looked down. She was a good foot shorter than his 6'4", but she still had some growing to do. Her blue eyes were crackling with anger at her brother. As soon as Jason turned the corner and was out of sight, Sookie sighed and slid to the floor, her back against a wall of lockers.

"That fucker shouldn't surprise me anymore, but he still manages to do it. Is it really that hard to keep your dick where it belongs, or at least out of where it ruins lives?" Sookie looked up at Eric like he would have the answer. He may be a star football player, an All American basketball star, and a baseball pitcher that had college scouts salivating, but experience with the so-called fairer sex had taken a back seat to making sure that college was paid for by some sort of scholarship.

He knew the Stackhouse family was far more well-off then most. Sookie and Jason's grandmother had married into oil money that was well invested. When their parents had died in a flash flood years ago, their father's mother had taken over their care. Sookie's and Jason's appearances showed the evidence of that care. All the clothes were name brand and Sookie's hair was professionally treated and styled.

Eric hadn't had the same financial benefits. His dad had split before his baby boy had said his first word and had no more relationship with him then signing a check each month when he managed to keep a job. Eric and his mom lived in a tiny 2 bedroom duplex. She worked two jobs to make ends meet and looked a good deal older then her 34 years. Sophie Ann Northman had gotten pregnant in high school and swore, that come hell or high water, her son, her pride and joy, would go to college like she had never been able to. Between saving the tiny money she was able to and paying the day-to-day bills of living and raising a growing (and growing and growing) son, there wasn't anything to spare of designer labels. Eric was well acquainted with the men's departments in Walmart and K-Mart.

Eric shrugged off his own backpack and sat next to Sookie on the floor, watching other students arrive and make their way to their lockers. "Your brother is amazing on the field, but he has the brains of a dung beetle. Did he really have sex with Miss Lewis?" Pretty Amy Lewis had just started teaching math this year after getting her degree and had only lasted 3 months. Because of Jason.

"He did, the shit-for-brains. Get it? Dung beetle? Shit-for-brains?" She cracked a bitter smile at her own joke, "I'm taking some advanced placement classes so I can graduate early and the fucker screws my tutor! No one else around here tutors for AP classes and I can't drive to the community college to use their math lab. So in screwing the teacher, Jason screwed me too, in an entirely different sense, of course." Sookie sighed again.

Eric said, "I did really well in Trig. If you want, I can tutor you on the weekends. With double practices during the week, I'm usually exhausted during the week. But I can give you a few hours on Saturdays or Sundays. Both if you want. I don't have much of a life outside school and sports." He gave her a sheepish grin.

"Fuck yeah! When can we start?" Sookie clapped and jumped to her feet. Eric continued having trouble connecting the sweet face and hot body with the salty language he usually only heard on the field.

They started the next weekend. The worked for 2-3 hours each day, then relaxed and got to know each other better. Sookie's grandmother had turned one of the unused bedrooms into a study for her grandchildren, but Sookie was the only one who ever used it and had made it her own. The wall of built-in bookshelves had everything from classics like Dickens and Thoreau to more modern selections from Anne Rice and James Patterson. She had a dorm-sized refrigerator near the desk and kept it stocked with cans of Coke and bottles of Frappuccino. The room also doubled as her personal day-room, with a comfy couch, a flat screen TV, and a stereo system stocked with her favorite CD. During their down time after studying, she'd flip to a random disc in the 300-disc changer and have it playing as background noise as they talked.

Eric had no idea that a girl of 14 could be as deep and well read as Sookie was. Most girls he had known at that age (and honestly, most of the ones he knew that were his own age) were silly, giggly, and boy-crazy. Sookie was as comfortable talking about Whitman's poetry, the mythology behind the movie _Oh Brother, Where Art Thou_, and Civil War history she was as singing along with Lady Marmalade (although someone with her voice would do others a favor by not singing) or dancing to J-Lo (and the girl could **really** dance). She talked about books she wanted to read, things she wanted to be, places she wanted to go, and people she wanted to meet. They changed from week to week, but one thing always stayed the same: she wanted out of Bon Temps.

Eric, too, had a sounding board for his dreams and goals too. He saw the sports that he played as a means to an end: a free ride through college. He worked on his own homework while Sookie did her tutoring assignments plucked from his old trigonometry notebooks. He told her about his dream of becoming an attorney who specialized in protecting abused and neglected children. All his teammates had unlikely dreams of the NFL, NBA, or MLB. He just wanted a law degree.

One thing was certain. Sookie had a sense of adventure that tiny Bon Temps couldn't satisfy. Eric had a calming influence on her wanderlust for the moment and helped her focus on the present rather then harp on the future.

Eric watched Sookie as she read the aftercare instructions for her new tattoo. She felt pleased with herself and kept glancing down at her ankle, as if to assure herself that the ink was staying put. She was glad that something was finally permanent in her life.


	2. Chapter 2

****A/N: thank you a million times for all the people who have reviewed. It keeps me going. And I forgot yesterday, but Charlaine Harris owns the characters; I'm just playing dress up with them. Please don't sue me.**

Chapter 2

Sookie and Eric drove back to their duplex in Shreveport. Sookie had bought it with part of her inheritance after Gran had died. She lived on one side, Eric on the other. This gave each other the privacy the needed and the closeness they craved.

Since high school, Sookie and Eric had come to rely on each other. Eric could be his true, introspective and serious self with Sookie. Being the super-jock, playing the cliched Big Man on Campus bored him most of the time. When Sookie was with him, she could lower the badass shields she carried, but never put them down completely. They were too much of herself, and she never left herself defenseless. As Eric unlocked his door and turned on his hall lights, he remembered one of the few times she had let her defenses down and it had almost broken her.

_**February 2002**_

Fall had faded into winter, although northern Louisiana was milder then other parts of the country. Eric made his transition from football to basketball. If Sookie couldn't find anything to do, she came to hang out in the gym while the basketball team practiced.

The day arrived when a new student showed up to try out for the team. He was tall, only and inch or two shorter then Eric and more stocky and muscular then was usually seen on the basketball court. He had olive skin and a shaved head. The coach put him through the warm up drills and played him in a scrimmage. After deeming him fit for play, the coach called his team to the bleachers.

"Guys, this is John Quinn. Sorry, just Quinn. He just transferred from Memphis. He played for his school there, so he knows the game. I expect you guys to make him feel at home, show him around, help him out."

Eric eyed his new teammate. He looked like decent enough guy. But he noticed that Quinn wasn't looking at his new team. His eyes were studying the blonde laying on her stomach on the top row reading. Eric felt jealously and possessiveness wash over him. He knew he had no claim on Sookie, but he felt it regardless. As they headed to the showers, he struggled against disliking this person he had never met.

Sookie met him at his car, waiting for him to drive her home. It was a pattern they had fallen into when Jason had taken to following his pursuit of tail rather then taking care of his little sister. He had left her, abandoned, at the school more then once. Eric had found her when she came into the gym to escape a rain storm and offered to drive her home whenever she wanted. Eric had an old beater that his mom had bought off a guy she worked with. It was reliable enough to get to school and back, but not much else.

Quinn headed toward his own vehicle, a souped up pickup, which was the norm for the area if you had money to burn. Eric could tell at a glance that the truck had every bell and whistle that it could have; options the he could only dream of. He noticed Quinn veer of and start heading for Eric's car... and Sookie.

"So how was practice?" Sookie asked when she heard footsteps approach her. She was leaning against Eric's car, still reading. When she was absorbed in a book, not many things could cause her to tear her attention away from the pages. Eric loved to watch her read. Her face would register her emotions and her eyes flew over the text. Eric watched her a lot, if she wouldn't catch him doing it

"You were there. Weren't you paying attention?" Quinn's voice was unexpected enough to pull Sookie's eyes from her book.

"I never pay attention. I'm not really a 'sports' kind of gal," Sookie replied, marking her page with a scrap of paper, then stuffing it in her backpack. "Who are you?"

"John Quinn. I just moved here from Memphis. No one calls me John, though. Coach already covered this. You really were in your own little world there, weren't you?" Quinn flashed her a cocky grin. Eric rolled his eyes to himself and started to dislike him even more.

Sookie met his grin with a cool gaze and a raised eyebrow. "You assume you should warrant more of my attention the Rhett and Scarlett? You do think highly of yourself, don't you, Mr. Quinn? Eric, Gran's making chili and cornbread for supper. You're always invited, if you want a home cooked meal."

Adele Hale married wealthy Mitchell Stackhouse, but she grew up learning how to cook from her own grandmother. Her dream before marriage had been to open her own restaurant. That dream changed when she started raising children and then her grandchildren. She still cooked like a demon and her meals were amazing.

She also adored Eric. She saw the gentle young man that he was. He had the right temperament to calm her fiery Sookie. Adele could tell her granddaughter struggled against what she wanted to do and accomplish and the small town mores that prohibited it.

Eric jumped at the offer of home cooking at the Stackhouse's. Along with an incredible meal, he could avoid the dark and empty house that was so lonely when his mom worked the second shift. Those nights he choked down a cold cut sandwich and struggled through his homework, easily distracted by the traffic sounds outside and his own rambling thoughts.

At Sookie's house, he used the study to complete his assignments while Sookie did the same, both with full and satisfied stomachs. Adele always made a plate for him to take home to his mom. She respected any woman that worked herself to the bone to take care of her child and felt the least the woman deserved was a good meal.

Eric sprawled on the floor of the study, his usual spot, to work on his homework, while Sookie sat at her desk. She flipped the stereo remote to Eric. Her rule was that classical music had to play in the background while she studied and did her work. She said it helped her concentrate and focus. "No Beethoven tonight. It's too heavy. I'm in the mood for a little Vivaldi," she said.

Eric scanned to the appropriate disc and hit play. To his surprise, Sookie didn't launch into her work as usual. She spun around in her chair and looked at Eric. "What do you think the deal was with that Quinn guy today?" she asked.

He thought, frowning. "I don't know," he said. "He was awfully cocky for a new guy who doesn't know anyone."

"Maybe that's how he handles feeling awkward. I cuss, you get silent... well, silent_er_, Jason said the first dumbass thing that comes out of his mouth. Maybe Quinn acts cocky. He probably doesn't realize he comes off as a total douche." She grinned.

Eric shrugged. "I don't know. It kinda seemed like his personality was 'cocky douche'. I don't think we'll be hanging out a lot off the court."

He had said "we" as in he and Sookie together. He had assumed that she wouldn't like anyone he didn't. His assumption was wrong.

"I don't know. It takes guts to approach a total stranger and try to start a conversation. I remember starting school here. The only person I knew was Jason." Her gran had home schooled her until she insisted she be able to go to school with her brother so she could take advanced courses. She had been incredibly sheltered as a result of staying at home with her grandmother all day, every day, and she had no friends her own age. "Look," she continued, "I can tell you don't like him and he may end up being a cocky asshole. But I'm going to give him a chance, and you should too."

"Come on, let's get to work," Eric grumbled. What had started as admiration and a little lust for his teammate's little sister had exploded into full on love as he spent more and more time with her. He loved her drive, her imagination, her sense of humor, and even occasionally, her foul mouth. That foul mouth had starred in more then one of his private fantasies doing many other things then talking. He didn't want any third party cutting into his time.

The next day, Sookie was good to her word. She hunted down Quinn when she got to school. She shook his hand, smiling up a storm. Sookie could be more charming the Jason on his best day, if she wanted to be. She normally didn't care enough about what other people thought to put forth the effort. She offered to show Quinn around and laughed at even his stupidest jokes convincingly. Eric stopped tagging around after third period. He didn't like feeling like a third wheel. He should have stayed.

Eric winked at Sookie when she showed up in the bleachers. She smiled and waved. He smiled back until he saw Quinn run up to greet her. His smile dissolved completely when she didn't even acknowledge his greeting. She actually watched the practice today and flagged Eric over as the team was heading to the locker room.

"Uuum... I told Quinn he could drive me home tonight. He wants me to show him around. I thought I's show him a few of the hot spots. You know, Sonic, the quarry, the cemetery. The swinging night life of Bon Temps!" She grinned.

Eric nodded. "That's okay. I should probably head home and get some stuff done for mom. She's always dead on her feet when she gets home from work. I don't feel I've been doing my share lately." Not even a lie, since he had been spending nearly every evening with Sookie.

He took off for home. When he got to the duplex, he became even more depressed then he already was. The sight of the rusty screens and the front door with the peeling paint always brought him low. It just made the sick feeling in his stomach worse. He just knew he was going to lose Sookie.

Eric miserably went into the dark house feeling almost unbearable lonely. This routine was nothing new; he'd been a latchkey kid all his life. But since meeting Sookie, the loneliness had become bearable. She had given him something more then a vague future to dream of. He felt lost.

Over the following weeks and months, his old routine returned. He still tutored Sookie on the weekends, but the time the spent hanging out was gone. She was always running off to see Quinn, to do something with Quinn, to be with Quinn. He had taken over her life, leaving nothing for Eric.

He refocused his efforts on his games and his studies. He had gotten acceptance letters from both Tulane and LSU. He was holding out to see which one came up with the best scholarship. There was really nothing more tying him to Bon Temps.

Basketball season ended and his gym shoes were traded for cleats when baseball season started. He reconnected with Jason, who was also playing his final season. Eric went to class, went to practice, went home, went to sleep. Wash, rinse, repeat. He had been offered a full baseball scholarship to LSU, a full ride for football at Tulane, and a random offer from Texas A&M for basketball. He cornered his mom on one of her rare afternoons off and asked for her help in deciding where to go. Sophie was overcome by what her son had accomplished, she couldn't speak for sobbing for an hour. She wished she could rub that shit Andre's face in the fact that his son was going to do so much more then he had ever been able to accomplish.

After doing the research, Eric and Sophie decided on accepting Tulane's offer. Tulane was further away, in New Orleans, but it also had a highly respected pre-law program. Even in his misery, he had never lost sight of his ultimate goal. It did feel strange not to go to Sookie with the news, but she had chosen the companionship of Quinn over friendship. He would let that be her cross to bear. Because he still loved her, albeit bitterly.

He had seen the signs going up at school that the prom was coming up. He didn't care. The only person he would have wanted to ask already had a date.

That Saturday was nothing different. He went for a jog in the morning, enjoying the air before the heat made it think and humid. He showered when he got home and started some laundry. He picked up around the tiny house while his mom worked. As both he and Sophie were fairly neat, he didn't have a lot to do. He saw a shopping list on the refrigerator with some money pinned to it. Eric knew how to take a hint. He added a few things to the list for reminder's sake, put it and the money in his pocket, and headed to Walmart.

As he was driving, he saw girls in cars with closed windows and had hair in ridiculously complicated up-dos It was the only thing that had reminded him that the prom was tonight. He resolved to relax and decided to splurge on a few rental movies to keep him company.

He was halfway through _The Fast and the Furious_ when his front door burst open. He ran into the kitchen and saw Sookie, her elaborately done hair in shambles. He makeup was smeared with tear streaks. She was barefoot. Her blue dress completed the look of ruined perfection. One of the spaghetti straps had snapped and tulle was drooping unevenly from under her skirt. She gasped catching her breath and her eyes were crazed Eric stood, stunned speechless, staring at her.

He unfroze and moved to her, but when he tried to put his arm around her, she flinched away from him. "Sook, what happened at prom? Where's Quinn?"

At his name, she started crying so hard she couldn't move. Eric managed to lead her to the couch without really touching her and supplied her with tissues and sips of ice water as needed.

He got her as calm as he thought he was able. She started to tell her story. He had an idea of what had happened, but he needed to hear it from her. "You have to tell me, Sook. Tell me so I can help you."

She took a long sip of water before saying, "I will, if you promise me that you will not run out of here like a crazy person until I tell you everything. You're still my best friend, even though I've been a shitty friend for months. I know it and you can punish me how ever you see fit tomorrow. I need my friend tonight."

Eric nodded, agreeing to anything she requested. He hoped he wasn't going to hear what he thought he was.

"Quinn and I had been getting really serious. And you know I'm not... experienced... with guys. Quinn had this idea... you know... _prom night_... you know..."

As smart as she was, as confident as she acted, to Eric, she had never sounded more like a scared 14 year old girl then she did right then. The way she carried herself made you forget how young she really was.

She continued, "I was all excited. A freshman, going to prom! I thought I loved Quinn. He made all these plans. He and Jason decided to share a limo. He came and picked us up, then we went to pick up Dawn. We went and we danced and it was so fun. Then we all went to the limo and it took us to the Howard Johnson. They checked in and Jason went in one direction with Dawn and Quinn led me in another. We went in the room and I knew. I knew that I wasn't ready for this.

"I tried to tell Quinn. I thought he'd understand. He got..." her voice dropped to a choked whisper, "... really mad. He pushed me down and said that I'd promised him and why the hell would he put up with my bullshit if he wasn't going to get anything out of it."

She had no way of knowing that every word was like a knife in Eric's heart. To know that she had planned... with _**him**_. He tried to keep his face calm.

"I kept trying to stand up, to talk to him, to calm him down. He wouldn't let me up. He kept pushing me back down. He seemed... I don't know. I can't remember seeing anyone act like that. He said that he put up with my shit and had turned down better offers to get me there and he was going to make sure I kept my promise."

Eric felt rage boiling his blood. He had just known that it was going to be something like this when he saw her. He gathered all his self-control to stop the impulse to beat the hell out of Quinn, to make _him_ feel like a scared little girl. But that could wait. This couldn't.

"He... this is the hard part so bear with me." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She kept her eyes closed as she continued. "He got on top of me and held me down with his arm on my chest. It was really hard to breathe. He kept yelling at me, but I was getting dizzy, so I don't really remember what he was saying. He reached up my skirt and pulled, but he only tore my dress." She gasped a little, but continued. "That just seemed to make him madder. When he went to try again, I brought my knee up as hard as I could. Jason told me if I ever needed to bring a guy down, that would do it. He rolled off me screaming and I took off running. I called a cab from the hotel office. The night guy gave me fare since I left my purse in the room and I was not going back there. I came here. I can't go home yet. Gran would take one look at me and call Sheriff Dearborn. I don't want to tell anyone about this. I don't want Gran or Jason to know. I only trust you.

"I know I've been a bitch to you. I don't even know why. I was obsessed with Quinn. Maybe I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. All I heard about in the halls and between classes was who was dating who, who liked who, who dumped who. It seemed like I was missing something. I don't know why I picked Quinn. Maybe because he was new. Everything here was fresh to him. But I couldn't be me. Just the girl who doesn't give a shit about anything but getting out. I had to be perky, preppy, perfect. I'm not any of those things, but that was what Quinn wanted. So I played the part. And look where it got me."

Sookie covered her face and started crying in earnest. Eric couldn't help but try to comfort a girl in pain. She allowed him to wrap his arms around her. She sank into his chest and before too long, the bobs gave way to steady, deep breathing as she cried herself to sleep.

He laid her gently on the couch and covered her with an old quilt. Then he began pacing like a caged lion. He wanted to rip something, destroy something, kill some_one_. The feelings were strange to him. He wasn't prone to violent emotions. He prided himself on his cool head and mellow personality. He liked to plan a course of action and try to see it three moves into the future. It was what made him so valuable and dangerous on the playing fields. But he was unable to be cool and mellow when everything was covered in a red pulsing haze. He had already hated Quinn before tonight,but felt it burgeoning into full blown, murderous rage. He continued to pace and tried to corral his thoughts, oblivious to the time. The jangle of keys told him his mom had gotten home. He met her in the kitchen with a finger to his lips and pointed in the direction of the tiny living room.

Sophie peeked in the room and saw Sookie asleep on the couch. He weary eyes took in the disheveled hair, the tear stained face, and the ripped strap of the dress. She led her son to her room and closed the door. "Tell me," she said quietly. She had been distracted, as she always was from working the kind of hours she did, but even she had seen the frustration and pain that that girl had put her baby through.

Eric, though he trusted his mom implicitly, struggled. Sookie hadn't wanted anyone to know what had happened. It wasn't his secret to tell.

"Eric, she is asleep on **my** couch, under **my** roof. Tell me why I shouldn't tell her to take her flighty ass back to her own house."

"Damn it, Mom! Quinn tried to rape her tonight! She didn't know where to go. So she came here. To me." Eric anxiously ran his hands through his hair. "She knew her gran would sic Bud on Quinn and she doesn't want to go through that. She just wants to forget it. She cried herself to sleep a few hours ago."

Sophie's eyes narrowed. "He what? He did what to that little girl? She's a baby. I guess the good lord forgot that when he gave her that body." Sophie's irritation and Sookie's fickle friendship was set aside as fierce mama-bear style protective instincts kicked in. "Okay, she doesn't want to press charges. I get that. It would be a he said-she said nightmare. And she knows that. Adele would press charges anyway because she's like that and Sookie is a minor. Surprisingly, I agree with Sookie. Keep this close. I would love to see that prick pay for what he did, but a trial would hurt her more, My question for you is, what do you plan on doing about it?"

Eric rubbed his eyes before responding tiredly, "What do you mean, Mom?" The high emotions of the evening had drained him.

"Eric, you are my son. I know a lot. I know you love that girl still, for reasons that are a mystery to me. I know that she has been through hell tonight and she is damn lucky to have had you here to help her. And I know that you are looking like you want to kill someone for what has been done to her. I understand. But **you** are my child. My main concern is for **you**. You are going to Tulane in four months and I will chain you to the wall if you so much as hint at doing anything that will jeopardize your scholarship, you hear me?"

Eric knew better then to doubt her word. He could hear the links clink already. And as much as he loved Sookie, it had cooled to the point where he would not risk his future to defend her honor. He told his mother as much. She raised her eyebrow skeptically, but nodded. She went to her dresser and pulled out an old pair of jeans and a tank top, and pulled out some flip-flops from her closet.

"Leave these by the couch. They should fit her and it won't look like she's doing a walk of shame heading home. I'm turning in. I would ask if you were, but I'd be wasting my breath. Good night."

He sat in the living room watching over Sookie as she slept. He dozed off himself and had woken up to an empty couch. The loaned clothes were gone and the ruined dress was in a ball in the corner of the room. He never found out what story Sookie had given her gran about the missing prom dress or the sudden break-up with Quinn, but whatever it was, it was apparently believable. He also knew without a doubt, the he was the only one that Sookie had told about the events of that night.

For one, Quinn was still walking, and walking free. Jason, dim bulb that he was, was very protective of his baby sister, and would have put a big hurt on anyone who tried to take advantage of her. Adele would have filed sexual assault charges before the sun had risen, had she known.

Sookie didn't act like a whipped puppy either. At school, she ignored the leers and whispers with her head held high. The only noticeable change was she was quieter and more withdrawn then usual. She didn't have to go out of her way to avoid Quinn; their classes were in different buildings. Eric didn't have that luxury. He resisted the impulse daily to rip the throat out of the jackass for the lies he was spreading.

Eric had heard a few different versions, but the most popular story was that Quinn had made a bet that he'd screw "that Stackhouse girl" by prom. Afterward, he'd told her it was fun and kicked her out of the hotel room, deflowered and humiliated.

But, no, Quinn hadn't broken her. But she was wounded, and she learned that if someone wasn't willing to take her the way she was,they weren't worth her time.

_**Now...**_

Eric kicked back in his recliner and popped a beer. He flipped on his stereo and the heavy notes of Beethoven washed over him. For the past 10 years, any classical music calmed and centered him, but Beethoven was his favorite. The music expressed a passion that spoke to him. He knew the tale of Immortal Beloved, the unnamed woman that Beethoven had loved and left everything to when he had died. The knowledge that someone else had known his kind of love comforted him also.

**A/N – If you don't know the story of Immortal Beloved, it's here at . It is also a movie with the incredible, amazing Gary Oldman. Highly, highly recommended! As always, please please please review. I am not too proud to beg.


	3. Chapter 3

****A/N:** The lemony goodness is here. Let me know what you think...

Chapter 3

Eric heard noises coming from the shared back deck. Soon after, he smelled the savory aroma of cooking meat. Like a cartoon, his nose led him through his sliding door. He saw Sookie in an LSU tank top and shorts, an apron tied around her waist, tending the grill. He smiled and tried to take over. "Didn't Jason ever tell you grilling is the man's job?" he asked her.

She let him move in and handed over her apron of utensils and ran in to get them fresh beer. "He did. But this meat was just sitting in my fridge and hamburgers sounded so good. The night is perfect for grilling. I didn't want to disturb you in case you had to work. I would have dropped off a few for you if you didn't come out to join me."

"Sook, your cooking could be qualified as assault. How did your gran not pass on her gift?" Eric closed the grill cover to let the meat cook.

"She did... to Jason. It's so unfair that he take the most random ingredients and make a delicious meal and I burn toast. I guess it works out well since Michele is on bed rest. Who would have thought that Jason, of all men, would be serving his wife her meals in bed? Come to think of it... who would have thought Jason would have a wife? But I am truly surprised that I'm not an aunt already."

Eric smirked. "Yeah, if we'd had a category for it, our class would have named Jase 'Most Likely to be a Baby Daddy' without question. But then, he always was always hard to pin down. Sometimes he used forethought and caution. Remember how he waited until he had his diploma in hand before he cold-cocked Quinn after our graduation ceremony? You like yours medium well, right?" He opened the grill and flipped the burgers.

"Yeah. I don't know how you eat burgers that are bloody and cold in the middle. I've never understood that." she headed into her kitchen and called though the screen, "I got cheese, pickles, lettuce, ketchup, tomatoes... umm... do you have any buns?" She walked out laughing. "If I swear not to touch them, will you check?"

"I don't have to check. I know I don't have any. Oh well, we'll have them Atkins style," Eric remarked. It was like Sookie to start cooking without checking to make sure she had everything she needed. She was a horrible cook. "Now move away from the grill, woman! I'm hungry!" He slid his own rare burgers off the grill and closed the lid to let hers cook some more. She ran into his den and turned off the Beethoven. "It's too early for that. I know you'll crank it back up when you're working on your cases later. Live a little!" She ran into her living room and cranked Lady GaGa. She pulled her hair into pigtails and started dancing around the deck. Eric laughed, because she looked all of sixteen.

_**August 2004**_

She surprised him in New Orleans after she had gotten her driver's license. She had "forgotten" to leave her gran a note telling her where she had gone when she left 5 hours earlier, so Eric made her call Adele. Gran was less then thrilled that Sookie had driven to Tulane, but happy that she was with Eric.

He took her around his campus. He introduced her to his teammates and endured the winks and nudges afterward. He drove her to Baton Rouge, to the LSU campus, where she would be starting in January. With her AP courses and testing out of classes, she was graduating a year and a half ahead of her classmates.

After she moved to Baton Rouge, one or the other drove the 90 minutes to the others campus. They spent every weekend together and the arrangement lasted 4 years. Neither bothered to make time for social activities that didn't involve the other. In all that time, they broached every subject imaginable. While at college, Eric had had some random encounters with girls after drinking that were unmemorable. Sookie had had offers, but she hadn't had a boyfriend since Quinn. Sex wasn't as important to her as getting out of Bon Temps and had decided to forgo any moves into that arena. That was just fine with Eric.

Eric saw Sookie graduate with a major in English and a minor in education. Sookie was there to watch Eric get his law degree with honors.

Sookie went back to Bon Temps with Eric after graduation. He wanted to spend a few weeks with his mom before starting as an associate with a law firm in Shreveport. She figured she could spend some time with her gran so she could decide what she wanted to do with her degree.

Sophie was more relaxed the he could remember seeing her. She was working only one job now that Eric was supporting himself. They made simple meals and enjoyed just being in each others company.

After about 2 weeks, he was surprised when his phone rang close to midnight. Sookie was on the phone and hysterical.

"Eric, I need you to come over. Something is wrong with Gran. I already called 911 and they're on the way. I can't find Jason, the shit. Fucker turned his phone off. Please come."

Eric jumped in his car and raced to Sookie, getting passed by an ambulance on the way. When her got there, Sookie was sitting on the front steps, sobbing.

The EMT came out of the house. "I'm so sorry Sookie. It looks like it was a stroke, but we can't be sure yet. We need to call the coroner."

Eric joined her on the steps and held her to him. He shed some tears of his own for the grand lady that had been so kind to him.

The coroner and came and performed his official duties. The stretcher carrying the black bag made it's way to the waiting ambulance. The other EMTs expressed their sympathy before leaving.

Sookie just leaned into Eric and wept. After a while, he led her inside and poured her a glass of wine. After pouring one for himself, he sat next to her and asked, "What happened?"

Sookie wiped her eyes and sipped her wine. "We were eating supper and she said she had a bad headache and was going to bed. She was moving slow, but I figured that she was just getting older. I finished and cleaned up the kitchen. I went to the study and watched a little TV before going to bed. I saw Gran's light still on, so I went in to say goodnight. She was on the floor unconscious. I tried to wake her up, but she wouldn't. So I called 911, then I tried to call Jason, the shithead, but he's nowhere to be found. Then I called you." He grasped her hand and squeezed. "I'm here for you as long as you need."

"I need you to stay with me tonight. I don't want to stay in this house all by myself. I can't."

During the weekend visits, sleeping in the same room and sharing a bed had become second nature. While she got ready for bed in her bathroom, Eric found a pair of Jason's sleep pants. Although they were several inches too short, they fit around his waist. Sookie emerged in her favorite pajamas with a freshly scrubbed face and swollen eyes. She and Eric climbed into her bed and he held her to him, her head on his bare chest.

"Eric," she whispered, "I think you know me better then anyone else, even my own family. I want to be close to you tonight. I want you." She slid up his body and kissed him.

He had been dreaming of this moment for years. But he had to be responsible. "Sookie, are you sure you want this now? You don't need to prove anything to me."

Her response was to kiss him harder and any willpower he had to resist crumbled. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. He nipped at her lips until she opened her mouth to allow his tongue to massage hers. He kissed down her jaw to the sensitive part of her neck where it met her shoulder. One of her hands ran tangled in his hair and the other was trailing her nails down his back. She arched her body closer to his and pulled his head up to kiss her again.

His hand slid under her pajama top and felt the breasts he had fantasized about. The real thing was so much better. He ran his thumbs over her nipples, feeling them harden under his touch. He caressed them, squeezed them, savoring the sound she made as she moaned in his mouth.

Without ending the kiss, he unbuttoned her top and tossed it aside. He kissed his way down her neck and chest until mouth met breast. He ran his tongue over one nipple, then the other. Her hands tightened in his hair as she panted. His mouth descended and experimented with pressure and nibbling until she arched her back and gave little cries of pleasure.

He ran one hand up her thigh and under her shorts. She nuzzled closer, encouraging him further. He slowly pulled the shorts down her legs and looked down at Sookie in all her glory. He leaned over to kiss her again. One of his hands went south and a finger entered her. She gasped with surprise. She was so wet with arousal that he slid in another finger and she moaned louder.

He slid down her body until he was positioned where he had the perfect view of the promised land. Gently, softly, he ran his tongue over her nub. His mouth explored her further, tasting her. She squirmed restlessly, panting. "Oh God, Eric, I want you now."

He pulled the sleep pants off and kissed her. "I feel like I should warn you. This might hurt. I will go slow, and if you are uncomfortable, I'll stop." Please God, don't let her be uncomfortable was his silent prayer. He let her look at him. He was hard and wanted her to know what to expect. He knew he was larger then average.

"I'm ready. I want you," she whispered huskily. She reached up to pull him back down to her. He hovered over her, poised at her entrance. He pushed in a little to get her used to the feeling and then pushed in further. He heard her gasp. She raised her hips and wrapped her legs around his waist. He gave one last thrust and he was inside her completely. She had whimpered a little as he broke through, but she hadn't asked him to stop. He rocked his hips slowly, watching her face. Her breath was coming in gasps. He didn't know how much longer he could last and wanted her to come before he did. He reached between them and rubbed her nub while thrusting, going through the different plays of each game he played to keep from going over the edge.

"Oh God! Oh! Oh! Eric! Oh God yes!" and Eric felt her tighten around him. It felt so good, he let go and had his own moment. He collapsed next to her and kissed her.

He watched as she caught her breath and waited for her to say something. She seemed to be rehearsing a speech in her head, but simply leaned into his chest and said, "Thank you." She nestled into his arms and went to sleep, and he dozed off after her.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" was what he and Sookie woke up to. Jason was standing in her door looking at them. "Our grandmother dies and you're fucking him the night it happens? Is that why you didn't hear her? You were to busy getting drilled? And you," he continued, turning to face Eric, "you take advantage of my little sister? Using her grief to get a little ass?"

His attempts to shame her failed. Sookie jumped out of bed wrapped in her sheet and strode up to her brother. "You're a fine one to talk. Who's bed were you in last night when I tried calling you? I assume you didn't get the messages I left until this morning or you would have been here sooner. No, Eric was the one who came and held me while I cried and comforted me as Gran was loaded into an ambulance in a body bag. While you were fucking some random chick whose name you probably have to guess at, if you even remember it at all. You have NO right to come down on me, Jason Stackhouse, cause I can throw those stones right back at you."

Jason stood with his mouth open for a moment, then slapped Sookie across the face. Before Eric could get off the bed to defend her, she rebounded and slapped him so hard his head rocked. He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

The days passed and funeral plans were made. Jason never apologized to Sookie, but he appeared appropriately ashamed when she blazed her blue eyes at him. Eric stayed for the funeral, but had to get to Shreveport for his new job. Sookie called him every night, mainly just to hear his voice for comfort while the estate was finalized.

_**Now...**_

Sookie continue to dance around the deck, grabbing Eric to join her. He slid her burgers off the grill and spun her around the deck. They ate their burgers and enjoyed the cool evening air. Eric had to excuse himself to prep some casework that needed to be done by Monday. He went into his den and turned the Beethoven back on. It had been a long day and he was ready to lose himself in his work.

****A/N:** Pleasepleaseplease review. Losing virginity is tricky to write about. The situation is uncomfortable, the act is uncomfortable, and I'm hoping I did it justice. No vampire blood available to make it less so. Also, in my world, Katrina didn't happen. Otherwise my timeline gets all fouled up. Seeing my phone ding with reviews makes me write faster... BTW, since the website didn't come over in the last chapter, go to wikipedia and search Immortal Beloved letters. It is truly an amazing love story. Guess who my favorite composer is...


	4. Chapter 4

****A/N:** This is for everyone's benefit, including my own. Eric and Sookie are about 3 ½ years apart in age. She's 23 (her birthday is in July), he's 27 in 2011. She finished LSU at age 19, a semester before Eric finished law school at age 24, both in 2008. Just wanted to get that documented so I don't keep having to do the math in my head. Also, I was in the mood for some lemonade today.

**Chapter 4**

June 2008

Adele's will had been read, splitting her estate equally between Sookie and Jason. They were both suddenly independently wealthy and no idea what to so with their individual windfalls.

Sookie drove and hour to Shreveport every night to the tiny efficiency motel room where Eric was staying while he tried to find an affordable place to live permanently. His associate salary looked good, until he figured in rent, utilities, and student loan payments. He was glad it was his nature to live frugally.

Nightly, Sookie arrived with her unique knock on the door. She entered, kissed his cheek, and curled up in his bed while he prepped the seemingly endless cases given to junior associates. When he'd finish, he'd join her in bed, spooning against her back, and sleeping himself.

He knew that they would never have "The Talk" if Sookie had her way. She didn't like having expectations to live up to if they weren't self imposed. Conforming to someone else's idea of how she should act or feel was not something she was willing to do. Eric knew better then to force her to spell out her feelings or give her some kind of ultimatum. He was happy to take what she gave as she gave it. He didn't have the time or energy to look elsewhere, even if he'd had an interest in doing so.

Sookie met him after work one Friday about 3 months after receiving her inheritance. She told him to follow her and pulled away. After 15 minutes, she parked in front of a large, 2 story brick house on a large lot. She got out of her car and smiled at him. "I bought it. It's mine! I moved my stuff in this past week."

"Wow, Sook, that's great! The property is perfect and the house is beautiful. No more long drives."

She looked at him, confused. "Umm, more like no drive at all. Didn't you notice the two separate front doors? I thought you'd want to move in too. You get one side, I get the other. If you don't want it, I guess I could rent it out, but I really don't want to be a landlord. I just thought this way, we could live together but not _together_, you know. And you can't tell me you'd miss paying rent. I own it outright."

He couldn't think of anything more wonderful and tortuous then living so close to Sookie. So he was not instantly in love with the idea like Sookie was. "Well, let's take a look at it and see what the inside's like."

She handed him a key. "The insides are mirror images. They each have two bedrooms, both on the second floor. The bottom levels each have a living room and an eat-in kitchen. It has all the appliances. I figure you could use one bedroom as an office for working on your cases. It'd be a hell of a lot more comfortable then the tiny desk you're using at the motel. And don't be mad at me... I kind of assumed you'd say yes immediately." They entered and he saw a fully furnished home. Everything was exactly his taste. Masculine and simple. Dark colors and clean lines. Sookie explained, "I wanted to make it a belated graduation-slash-congratulations-slash-thank you gift. I don't think I've ever thanked you properly for all you've done for me since Gran passed... especially that first night."

Eric was too amazed to blush as he looked around. "Sook, we're best friends. Anyone would do the same if they had the kind of friendship we have. You didn't have to do all this to convince me. I feel like I'm going to be taking advantage of you if I accept."

"Well, I just have to convince you more. Come on," she said as she pulled him up the stairs. She entered one room and said, "This one's the biggest and has it's own bathroom, so it's the master. There's another full bath in the hall up here and a half bath back down stairs. I thought this could be your office. A nice quiet place where you can get your work done without hearing the all the traffic and noises at the motel. I didn't want to set anything up in here, because only you know what set up is best, but you've got a desk, chair, file cabinet and book shelf in here for you to arrange."

Eric had to ask, because this had come on so suddenly. "Sook, you know you don't have to _buy_ me right? Because that's kind of what this feels like."

"Eric, no! Look, all of a sudden, I have more money then I know what to do with. I don't want to live in Gran's house. In fact, after I closed on this place, I signed my half over to Jason since I don't want or need it. Everything else is portable, so I don't need to go back to Bon Temps for more then a visit. The fact is, that after college, I don't know how to live without you around me. This is a 95% selfish offer on my part. As for the other five percent... think of it as a gift." She shrugged and gave him her most winning smile. "Pleeease?"

He wandered though the house looking at everything with wonder. Could he really accept all this from her with no strings, as she was offering? And had he ever been able to deny her anything that she had wanted? He walked into the kitchen and looked in the refrigerator. He saw a case of his favorite beer. He pulled out two bottles and popped the top. He handed one to her and said "To our new houses." She squealed with delight and hugged him. "You're not going to regret it! Oh! I want to show you my side! And you get a key for there too. It just makes good sense to give your neighbor a key, in case of an emergency."

She led him across the porch and unlocked her door. "I already moved most of my stuff in earlier this week." It was as though she had moved the dayroom part of her study into the living room and expanded it. She had a full sectional sofa backed against the wall facing an impressive entertainment center. She had a little table in her kitchen. Her freezer was filled with microwave meals since that was the height of her cooking ability. She led him upstairs and showed him her office and bedroom. The office was much like her study back at her gran's house: a desk, several massive bookshelves, and a stereo. Her bedroom was impressive. She had a king size sleigh bed, a matching dresser, with a smaller TV and stereo on top. She had never been able to sleep in silence and he knew the stereo was for background noise.

"Do you want to sleep here tonight or at the motel?" she asked him. She had assumed it as a given that he would sleep with her and she wanted to know where to go.

"Sook, **I'm** going to sleep back at the motel. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to pack up my stuff and bring it over here. I'll also be able to go to Mom's and pick up the stuff she's been storing for me until I was able to move in permanently somewhere. And you know she's going to want to see the place. But you go ahead and stay here tonight. Get used to the feel of the place. I'll see you in the morning."

He went and drove back to his tiny room. He knew that he had to get used to sleeping by himself again. With Sookie next door, she would have the closeness she seemed to need and wouldn't be sharing his bed.

He drove to Bon Temps after packing his car with the few clothes and possessions he had at the motel. He met his mom and determined what he needed to bring with him. After the cars were filled, she followed him to Shreveport to see the place. She had warmed up to Sookie over the past few years, but still didn't entirely trust the girl. Sophie knew her son was a catch and Sookie was keeping him from finding someone he could spend his life with.

Sookie met them out front and hugged Eric and Sophie. She let Eric show his mom around and get her opinion on how to set up the rooms while moving the boxes in from car. Sookie surprised them both by revealing the grill and patio set she had bought for the back deck. Eric laughed at her. "When are you ever going to use that? It doesn't have a timer."

"Yeah, but _you_ know how to grill. The deck just looked so bare and plain, I needed to dress it up." Sookie pulled out some steaks from her refrigerator and winked at Eric. "So make yourself useful and fix us some supper. I want to show your mom my side."

She led Sophie through the door into her kitchen. Sophie closed the door behind her and turned to Sookie. "What are you doing here? What do mean getting all this for Eric?"

Sookie furrowed her brow in confusion. "I don't know what you mean. I had it to offer. I wanted to share it with him after all that he's done for me."  
>"He has done a lot for you. I just want to know that he'll be able to have a life independent of you. If he needs to move on to somewhere or someone else, that you won't stop him."<p>

"Sophie, Eric is my best friend. He's always going to be in my life and I hope to always be in his. I had hoped you would approve."

Sophie looked around bitterly. This child (and she would continue to think of Sookie as a child, no matter her age) had provided her son with more then Sophie had ever managed to. It wasn't Sookie's fault for having the means to do so, but it didn't mean Sophie had to be happy about it. "Just don't hold him back, Sookie. If he needs to move on, let him," she said and walked back out to the deck with a smile on her face for her baby.

They had a lovely meal, Sookie's smile tense, but Eric didn't bring it up in front of his mother. He walked Sophie out to her car and hugged her before she left. He helped Sookie clear the plates from the deck and she loaded the dishwasher.

"Sook, I'm all sweaty from moving, so I'm going to take a shower. I'll see you in the morning?"

"Sure. I'll see you later."

Eric undressed in his new room and unpacked his toiletries. The bathroom was much larger then the one he had been using in the motel. The one in the efficiency hadn't been meant for someone with his proportions. This shower was large and roomy and he was able to move around. The hot water streamed down over him and soothed his tired muscles. A quiet voice interrupted his relaxation. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Sookie opened the frosted door and stepped through. "I had this urge to help you. Let me get your back."

Eric, stunned speechless, turned his back to Sookie as requested. She rubbed some body wash between her palms and massaged his back. They slid further down and caressed his ass and ran down his legs. She slid back up his body and down his arms. "Have you been thinking about this for months? Because I have. Turn around and let me help with your front," she whispered.

In a daze, he turned. She ran her soapy hands over his shoulders and grasped him behind his neck to bring his head down for a kiss. She kissed him deeply and he lifted her butt so she could wrap her legs around his waist. One hand ran down her slippery back and held her tightly to him. He backed her against the wall of the shower and entered her. "Oh God," she sighed.

He rocked his hips, thrusting into her deeply. "God you feel so good," he moaned. She tilted her head and sucked on his neck. He grunted with the effort to keep from coming. Her breath was jerky and he could feel she was about to go over the edge. He reached down to stroke her to accelerate her orgasm. He felt her walls tighten against him as she cried out. He pulled her body closer as she rode out the aftershocks and he released. "Oh Sookie, God Sookie. Oh my God." He slumped forward, his head against the wall she was backed up against. She kissed him and disengaged herself, unsteadily getting her feet back on the floor.

"Eric, that was incredible. But I think I might have to get bigger water heaters... " She laughed as she realized that the hot water had run out without either of them noticing. "So much for the theory of cold showers, huh?"

He passed her a towel from a box he had meant to unpack and grabbed another for himself. "Do you mind me asking what brought that on?" he asked.

"Call it..." she searched for an accurate term, "a need for connection. A celebration of our joint venture. I wanted to feel close to you." She wrapped her wet hair in the towel and grabbed his old Tulane practice jersey out of a box to sleep in.

Eric held back his questions. He knew she wouldn't answer them. She curled up in his new bed and waited for him to join her. He curled around her and they slept. She woke up with his arms around her. She rolled over and kissed him and headed to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. When he joined her, she passed him a mug. "Why don't you work on setting up your office today. I'll run out and get some groceries and anything else we need. Text me if you discover anything you need me to pick up." She kissed his cheek and ran across the back deck into her side of the duplex. Shortly after, he heard her car back out of the parking lot in front of the house.

It continued that way for the next 3 years. Two or three times a month, Sookie would show up, they'd make love (though she'd never call it that), literally sleep together and start the next day like a normal couple. He knew they had a highly dysfunctional friendship, but he loved her so much that he accepted anything that she was willing to give him.

****A/N:** Okay, so is Sookie a bitch or just clueless? All this background into their relationship has a purpose, I promise. But we are up to the present. Reviews bug my husband (the phone buzzing irritates him), but they make me write faster. Review, review, review, pretty pretty please.


	5. Chapter 5

****A/N:** Charlaine Harris owns these characters and I'm just playing dress up with them. Please review... you guys inspire me!

**Chapter 5**

Eric flipped through the files on his desk, trying to determine which ones he needed to take home with him. One of the partners came in, followed by a stunning woman.

"Mr. Herveaux, I was getting ready to head out. Was there anything specific you wanted me to work on this weekend?"

The older man smiled indulgently. Jackson Herveaux was proud to mentor associates in his firm with promise, and Eric was one of the most promising that had come through in years.

"Actually, Eric, I'm going to need you to come in for a few hours over the weekend. I want you to meet Pamela Ravenscroft. Ms. Ravenscroft, my most talented associate, Eric Northman. Her family is planning on opening several group homes throughout northern Louisiana. We are assisting them in drafting the paperwork and getting the necessary connections together."

Eric smiled enthusiastically. "That's great! I look forward in assisting you. This area is in need of some quality foster facilities." He was thrilled that he was being included in this project; it was the entire reason he had gone to law school. "So we'll be starting immediately?" he asked her.

"As it looks like you are leaving, I'll settle for tomorrow morning, ten o'clock. Mr. Herveaux assures me that you are most capable, Mr. Northman. I'm sure we'll work well together," she said, with a slight British accent. She shook his hand and left.

"Amazing, isn't she? Direct, to the point, passionate. Hard to believe she's only 25!" Mr. Herveaux said, staring after she walked toward the door. "I think the pair of you will do amazing things!"

When Eric got home, he grabbed a beer from the kitchen and headed straight for his office. He changed clothes while his laptop booted up and started brainstorming for his meeting tomorrow. After what felt like a few minutes, he heard a throat clear behind him.

"You forgot our dinner plans,huh?" Sookie asked, looking peeved.

"Sook, you'll never believe what kind of project I've been assigned!" and Eric went into detail for her about the kinds of foster homes that he had dreamed of setting up. She sank into a chair and listened. She had known that he loved his work, but he talked about this project with a passion that she'd never heard before. This was the kind of work he'd been dreaming about... well, for as long as she'd known him. She was honestly and truly happy for him and told him so.

"I have a little exciting news of my own. I found out that a Montessori school is going to be opening in this neighborhood. I was thinking about taking the courses I need that would qualify me to teach there. It's about time I put this degree to use."

"Sook, that's a great idea! I can see you doing that and actually being happy." Although she didn't _have_ to work, financially, she got bored easily. She had tried her hand at several jobs since moving to Shreveport, but once the challenge was gone, she quit. She liked the idea of teaching, because the challenge of working with kids would never go away.

His brainstorming interrupted, Eric realized he was hungry. He and Sookie went to his kitchen where he threw together some pasta, sausage, tomatoes, and cheese for a quick and filling dinner. They talked some more about their plans for the future.

Eric drove into his office the next morning dressed down in jeans and a polo shirt. He knew that there was no chance on having to run into court on a Saturday. He pulled in to the parking lot next to a dark green BMW and Pamela Ravenscroft exited her car. She glanced at her watch. "You're early. I like that," she said.

"You're earlier," he responded with a smile.

"One of my little quirks is that I have a pathological fear of being late for anything. As a result, I am _always_ early. I appreciate punctuality in my associates, so seeing you here early recommends you further."

Eric pulled out his keys and let them into the building. I am very excited to work with your family on this project, Ms. Ravenscroft. Last night I put some ideas together that I hope you'll like."

"First, drop the whole 'Ms.' thing. We're going to be working closely for a long time. It's Pam. You're Eric. Isn't that easier?" She smiled brightly at him and followed him into his office.

While he unloaded his laptop and connected it to the docking station, Pam looked at the pictures on his desk. Every one had either Sophie or Sookie smiling back at him. "Who are these women? They're both lovely."

"The brunette is my mom, Sophie. The blonde is my... um... she's my best friend and housemate, Sookie. We share a duplex about 15 minutes away." He smiled at the picture Pam was looking at. Sookie had just gotten her eyebrow pierced and had the remnants of the purple streaks in her hair.

"She certainly looks like a firecracker. I look forward to meeting her. But I'm sure we'll get around to that. Why don't you tell me some of your ideas," she said, taking a seat across from his desk.

He reached into his briefcase and handed several sheets of paper to her. "I printed off some articles for you last night. The pregnancy rate for girls in foster care is astounding, almost an epidemic. Without stable roots anywhere and no one willing to educate these girls on safe sex and birth control, it's really no surprise. Also, a lot of these girls get into or are already in abusive relationships. My idea for the first homes would be for the girls most at risk; the ones already pregnant and/or being abused. Set up connections with Planned Parenthood and some therapists to do some pro bono counseling. Our office can take care of protective orders and even arrange adoptions if necessary. Work with some other agencies to provide child care and job training. The whole system of '18 and out' is irresponsible and I want to try to find a way to provide housing and extend the care and connections so that these girls have something to fall back on when the system dumps them when they turn 18," Eric summarized passionately. He had planned a lot of this while still at law school and had the proposals already outlined on his hard drive.

Pam looked over the articles and his outlines. "Eric, this is amazing. You seem to have known my family's goal. You weren't in the foster system, were you?"

"No, I was lucky. I had an amazing mother who did everything she could for me. But she was. Her parents died with no relatives willing to take on the burden of a child. So she was placed in the system. She had been transferred from foster family to foster family until she got pregnant with me at 17. Her boyfriend left her after I was born, and the system booted her out when she turned 18. She managed to get her GED, but could have done so much more if she had a support system in place for her. A lot of my passion for this comes from watching her struggle for years," he answered. "Knowing that we get some girls out of that situation makes all of this worth it."

Pam looked thoughtful. "You're very enthusiastic. I like that. Better then someone who puts together proposals that are weak because they are not thought out and based on what they think the person wants to hear. We _are_ going to do amazing things together." She grinned. "I couldn't help but hear Mr. Herveaux as I was leaving yesterday. And you are lucky. My family is very, very rich and more then willing to fund these homes, until or unless we can get donations to cover the expenses."

"I have to ask... where is the accent from? Your family _is_ from the U.S., right?" he asked

"My mother is from Houston, but my father is from Wales. He had a strong belief in the discipline fostered by British boarding schools. I was schooled abroad since the age of four. If I had stayed at home, I'd probably have a drawl like Matthew McConaughey," she laughed.

They worked together for several more hours until they saw the light fading. Eric looked at the clock. "We haven't stopped to eat. Why don't you come over and I can make some dinner. You can meet Sookie. Unless you have someone waiting for you..." he trailed off.

She smiled. "No, no one waiting for me. I'd love to meet your housemate and I have to say... a man who can cook is always appealing. I'll follow you."

They pulled into the duplex parking lot and Eric let Pam in. She showed her around and pulled out what he needed to make a chicken and rice casserole. He put the dish in the oven and crossed the deck. He knocked and stuck his head in the door. "Sookie," he called, "I'm making dinner. If you're hungry, get your butt over here in the next 10 minutes." He came back in his kitchen. "You'll be seeing her in a few min..."

"Whatcha making?" said Sookie, as she came in through his sliding door. Pam laughed. "You two are darling! How long have you been together?"

"Eric, we've been friends now for, what, almost 10 years, right? We met when I was 14 and he was scared I was going to seriously injure one of his wide receivers." She smiled at the memory. "He offered to tutor me and we've been pretty inseparable since then.." She shook her head and held out her hand. "My gran would shoot me for forgetting my manners. I'm Sookie Stackhouse."

Pam shook her hand. "Pam Ravenscroft. I'm working on the foster home project with Eric. Actually, my family is funding the project."

"I was so glad to hear about that. I can assure you that Eric has had ideas about this kind of project for as long as I've known him. You couldn't have picked a better firm to partner with or a better associate to work with," Sookie said.

"That is what I'm quickly discovering. Eric, do you need any help?" Pam asked.

Eric pulled the casserole from the oven. "Nope, it's all ready. Sook, can you get some drinks? Pam, we've got beer, iced tea... and I think that's it."

"I'll take a beer. Sounds good on a muggy night like this."

Sookie pulled three beers from the refrigerator. "A girl after my own heart. And Eric is a great cook; if he wasn't we'd both be living on microwave food. I can barely boil water without ruining it."

"Another thing we have in common," said Pam. They sat at Eric's kitchen table and ate. "Sook, after dinner we're going to go up to the office and go over some more plans. You want to take the leftovers to your place?" Eric asked. It was his way of telling her he'd be occupied if she planned on coming over later.

"Sure, I never turn down prepared food. I have to do a little research on what I need to get Montessori qualified. I know I need certification through the American Montessori Society, but I'm not sure what I need to do to get it." Sookie cleaned her plate and put the dish in Eric's dishwasher. "If you just want to drop those leftovers in my fridge when you get a chance, I'd appreciate it. I'll leave you two to work on changing the world," she said as she left through the kitchen.

"Well, I like being proven right and she certainly is a spitfire. I adore her!" Pam exclaimed. "So how long have you been in love with her?"

Eric sputtered, "I'm in... I... love... what do you mean?" and Pam laughed, but not cruelly. "Eric, all one has to do at look at you when she's in the same room and it's obvious. Apparently, not to her, but to everyone else. So how long?"

Eric flushed crimson. "A few weeks after meeting her. She was like no one else I had ever met and she's the same way now. Strong, opinionated, self-assured, smart... she's amazing."

Pam looked at Eric, considering. "So, is she gay? Is that why she's immune to your charms? Are you guys like a reverse Will and Grace? What other reason could there be for her not being with you?"

Eric chuckled. "I can assure you she's not gay. She was burned really bad in high school and I don't think she ever let herself get over it. If she gets pressured, she throws up the walls and runs. So I let her know that I'm here for her whenever she needs it."

Pam continued to think. "This may sound strange, since we have really just met, but I think I will be spending a lot of time here. Sookie and I are incredibly alike. We can definitely be friends. I think she might need some help looking at you though fresh eyes. And I can provide that help. I see some Girl's Nights Out in my future..."

****A/N:** Okay, so no lemons and I apologize. I wanted to get Pam introduced. She is one of my favorite characters, both in the show and in the books. She always has Eric's back, and he needs that kind of support in my world. She also thinks that Sookie, although she's her favorite "breather", doesn't appreciate Eric as much as she should. She needed to come into the picture. Also, I thought seeing Eric's other passion and a getting little more of his background was important too. As always, review, review, review. There's a reason I've written 5 chapters in 5 days!


	6. Chapter 6

****A/N**: Charlaine Harris still owns the characters; I'm just taking them out to play. I'm playing a little with POV this chapter. We've been seeing things from Eric's point of view. It's time to see Sookie's. I'll switch back and forth a few times, but this is mainly from Sookie's side.

Chapter 6

Sookie laid out on her chaise on the back deck working on her tan. The sun and a little color always made her feel better. Eric was at work and she was lonely. She had driven to Bon Temps that morning and visited Michele. The poor woman had massive cabin fever from being bed ridden and was dying for some female companionship. Sookie liked her sister-in-law; she wasn't like the tough sluts that Jason had gravitated to when he was younger.

Sookie stopped off at Tara's Togs on her way back to Shreveport to pick up a new outfit. Pam was taking them to a club that night and had told Sookie and Eric to dress to the nines. She found a shimmery, midnight blue slip dress that emphasized her assets. When she added the matching heels, her legs looked a mile long. On the way to the register, she saw a man's shirt in a similar color that she knew would look fantastic on Eric, their coloring was so similar. After finding a size that would fit him, she added it to her purchases. She nonchalantly handed over the black Am Ex card to pay the total and headed back home. She let herself into Eric's bedroom and left the new shirt on his bed. She went over to her side, changed into her pink and black bikini, braided her hair, and began her sun worship.

She was looking forward to tonight. Besides the fact that she loved dancing, Pam was a blast. Sookie had never had girls as friends. She refused to participate in the catty, backstabbing games that most girls in high school and even college considered friendship. Pam was a refreshing difference. She was as direct as Sookie herself was, and she had the same low tolerance for bullshit.

The three of them had had dinner together several times since that first night. At times, Sookie had caught Pam looking at her strangely, as though trying to figure something out.

She got goosebumps from the air cooling as the sun set and she heard the crunch of gravel as more then one car pulled into the parking lot.

She heard Pam and Eric enter through the front, laughing. A few moments later, Eric popped his head out the door. "Sook, has the clothing fairy been by? 'Cuz I have a new shirt laying on my bed."

"Uh, yeah. I picked up some new clothes and I saw that. I knew it would look good on you, so I grabbed it. Pam said we should dress up for tonight and you never spend anything on clothes except for suits for work. Man cannot live in t-shirts alone."

"I like my t-shirts," Eric grumbled, trying not to crack a grin and failing. "Pam is upstairs, picking out clothes for me. I swear, you guys treat me like I'm six. I _can_ dress myself, you know."

"I do know. And you do fine if we're heading to Denny's for breakfast at 4 am. But we're actually going out tonight. Let our women's eyes do their job and make you look fabulous!"

Eric put on a sultry pout, a' la Jason. "Aww, Sook, you know what makes me look good?"

"Vision," she answered, rolling her eyes. It was one of her brother's favorite smartass sayings. "Just wear what she picks out and stop complaining."

Sookie went to her bedroom and hung her dress on a hook inside the bathroom door. She showered and shaved. After smoothing herself with strawberry scented lotion, she did her makeup and slid on the dress and put on the heels. She unbraided her hair and let it fall in tousled waves to her shoulder blades.

She exited her bathroom to find Pam changing into her own party clothes. She had a 1940's style little black dress, seamed stockings, and peep-toe heels. She looked fantastic and Sookie told her so.

"I do. Thank you. Eric should be dressed by now. That shirt you got for him is perfect. You'll be pleased. You look lovely as well," Pam stated, looking Sookie over, knowing Eric was about to be dumbstruck.

"Ladies, get your butts down here so we can go, already!" Eric's voice came up the stairs.

"Let's go knock 'em dead, dear," said Pam, grabbing Sookie's arm. They walked down the stairs like they were entering a ball. Eric's jaw hit the floor. Pam was beautiful, but Sookie was breathtaking. Pam laughed with glee at his reaction and put a finger under his chin to close his mouth.

Pam drove them to the club. They entered and were led to a reserved booth in a corner with a view of the dance floor. Pam asked the waiter for a martini for herself, a beer for Eric, and looked questioningly at Sookie, who ordered a screwdriver. Drinks were delivered and enjoyed. Pam pulled Sookie onto the dance floor.

They danced around each other, having fun. Then, Pam leaned in close. "Sookie, why do think that Eric doesn't have a girlfriend?" she asked.

Sookie was struck speechless. She had never asked herself that question, much less Eric. It certainly wasn't his looks. His tall, lean frame caused women to stop in their tracks. His swept back blond hair, shy smile, and electric blue eyes raised heart rates. And he wasn't just looks. He was smart, sweet, funny. Most guys she knew his age were in relationships, if not married. She was amazed that she'd never thought about it.

The song ended and she and Pam went back to the table. A new set of songs started. Pam grabbed Eric and pulled him onto the floor with her. Sookie thought they danced very well; he certainly knew how to move. She saw Pam lean in and whisper something to him and he threw his head back and laughed.

Pam had picked out a great outfit for him. Along with the dark blue shirt, she had found some faded black jeans that hugged a world-class ass. How had she never noticed _that_ before? She frowned as Eric's arms went around Pam. Sookie ordered another screwdriver. Eric and Pam danced closer. She slammed her drink and wondered why she was suddenly so pissed off.

Pam pulled Eric from the table and onto the dance floor. She leaned close and said in his ear, "Darling, I think you're beautiful, but you're not really my cup of tea. My tastes tend to the more... _exotic_, like the beautiful Asian to your left." Eric glanced and saw a Chinese woman in a tiny Mandarin dress. He laughed because he had no other response. He found it funny how far off-base he'd been, thinking of Pam with a prim, proper British man. "Now, Sweetums, you are going to dance with me like you've always wanted to dance with her. She's not going to be a happy camper, but it's for her own good."

Sookie put her happy face back on as they came to the table. "I ordered fresh drinks. You guys look parched." They were both flushed and their faces shined with a sheen of perspiration. Sookie was willing to play happy, but she wasn't having fun anymore and just wanted to go home.

Pam pulled into their parking lot a few hours later. Sookie headed to her side while Pam followed Eric into his, audibly flipping the lock behind her. Sookie washed the makeup from her face and re-braided her hair. She changed from her dress into pajamas and kept an eye on the parking lot to see when the green Beamer would leave.

Pam changed into silky pajama pants and a tank top. Eric stared at her, curious. She said, "I'm wondering how far I should push her tonight. Part of me is tempted to stay all night. But I'm thinking we watch a movie, then I leave. Enough time to drive her crazy, because I guarantee she won't sleep until I drive away. Trust me, darling, I _know_ women."

About two hours later, Sookie saw headlights illuminate the parking lot as the car pulled out. She was very grumpy. She wanted nothing more then to go to Eric and ask if he'd slept with Pam. But she was filled with the realization that she had no claim on him and no right to ask.

****A/N**: Yes, I know it was short and only the illusion of lemons. I know you'll forgive me (Right?). The chapters might be coming a little slower because that demon called writer's block is rearing it's horrible head. Reviews help... if you need any further incentive. *hint hint*


	7. Chapter 7

****A/N:** Some more from Sookie's POV, a little of her background. I apologize in advance for the lack of lemons, but they're coming and it will be worth the wait. Oh yeah, and Charlaine Harris owns the characters, not me. I'm just responsible for their current actions.

**Chapter 7**

Eric let himself into Sookie's kitchen late the next morning. He started brewing a pot of coffee and tapped out a couple of Excedrin Migraine from the bottle Sookie kept by her microwave. If Sookie drank more then a beer or two with a meal or any alcohol at all on an empty stomach, she would have a raging headache the entire next day if she didn't nip it first thing.

As the coffee maker hissed steam signaling that the pot was done, heavy steps made their way down the staircase. Sookie came into the kitchen rubbing her eyes and looking miserable. Eric handed her a mug with one hand and the pills with the other. She took the medicine and headed toward the couch. She put the mug on the coffee table after taking a few sips and curled into a ball in the corner of the sectional, moaning and covering her eyes.

Eric stifled a chuckle. Sookie didn't drink recreationly often, but he had seen the resulting misery often enough to know what she needed and to find it humorous rather then alarming.

Sookie smelled coffee and willed herself downstairs. She felt like shit and it had nothing... well, almost nothing... to do with the alcohol from the previous night. She had laid awake until almost sunrise, fighting the urge to go to Eric. When sleep had finally come, it was uneasy. She was conflicted and didn't know how to handle it.

She know what her conflict was. She felt like she was losing her best friend. She also knew that she would be the world's shittiest friend ever if she didn't applaud him trying to find love.

But what was so wrong with _her_? Didn't she know him better then anyone? Didn't he know her better then anyone? Was that the problem? She knew better then anyone that she was damaged.

She had been only seven years old when her parents had died and Gran and taken her and Jason in. She struggled with separation anxiety for years afterward, forcing either Jason or Gran to let her sleep with them. She hadn't wanted to leave the security of home for school each day, so Gran had home schooled her.

The anxiety eventually lessened. She struggled to make herself self-reliant so she wouldn't be dependent on anyone else for anything. She had been doing a good job of it too, but she had been lonely. She didn't make friends easily. She dealt with it on her own until the quiet quarterback offered to tutor her.

She had been surprised by him. Anyone else with the "super jock" status that he had would have been cocky and arrogant. But he had been shy and focused on his goal of law school. She had admired him.

He had stood by her and helped her through the aftermath of her first (and only) prom. She had been so terrible to him during her time with Quinn. She had taken him for granted and swore she would never would again.

She had been so lonely when he left for New Orleans after he graduated. She lived for the breaks when he would come back to town and into her life again.

She could have kicked herself for allowing herself to become so dependent on Eric. Part of her had wanted to rip him away from Pam last night like a two year old with a toy, saying "He's MINE!"

She loved him being there to share her day with. She liked having meals with him. She liked being with him. He knew her well enough to wait out her temper tantrums for the squalls they were. He knew how to make her feel better when she was down. He gave her courage when she was scared.

She _loved_ having sex with him. He was so in tune to her that everything was always perfect. He knew when she wanted things hard and fast for a quick release and when she wanted him to take his time. She had no basis for comparison, but he was an amazing partner in bed. She loved waking up in his arms. The thought of him sharing himself with anyone but her hurt like a physical blow.

She relaxed the ball that she was curled into and sighed. Eric, thinking her asleep, smoothed the hair off her face and left to work on his project. When she was sure he was deeply occupied, she slipped into his kitchen. She could hear faint Tchaikovsky coming from the upstairs. He always put his wallet, keys, and cell phone in the same place on the counter. She scrolled through his phone contacts until she found the name she was looking for. She scribbled the number on a napkin and crept back to her side to make a call.

She changed into jeans, flip flops, and Eric's Tulane practice jersey that she had claimed as a nightgown when they first moved in. She put on some dark sunglasses and drove off.

She walked into a sidewalk cafe and ordered a salad and sweet tea and waited, scanning the sidewalk. Finally, the person she'd been looking for appeared.

Pam looked cool and calm, and Sookie hated her a little for it. She knew that she had circles under her eyes behind the sunglasses and her hair was in a messy ponytail. Pam joined her at the table and ordered a Perrier and lime. "Darling, I didn't expect to hear from you. Did Eric ask you to meet me?"

"No, I didn't tell him I was calling you. I stole your number off his phone. I have to ask. I hope you won't tell him that I'm asking you this, but I don't have any other way to find out and I need to know. Did you sleep with Eric last night?"

Pam leaned back in her chair and evaluated Sookie. She took in her bedraggled appearance and monotone voice. "Would you care if I did?" she asked calmly.

Sookie rolled her eyes, although they were hidden by the sunglasses. "No, Pam, I faked being asleep, stole your phone number, called you, got dressed, came here, and asked because I don't give a shit. What do you think?"

Unmoved by the sarcasm, Pam asked, "Why?"

"Because he's my best friend," was Sookie's automatic response.

"And what makes you care who he has sex with? Why can't you ask _him_ if it's a matter of friendship? Would you stop being his friend if he had sex with me?" Pam asked, her voice still as calm as a breeze.

Sookie was getting annoyed. "You haven't answered the question."

"I know," Pam responded. "I want to know what answer to give you."

"The truth, damn it!"

"My dear, for fear of sounding cliche, I don't know if you can handle the truth. I am beginning to consider you a friend, but Eric has become dear to me. If you want to know the answer, you need to ask him." She finished her drink and laid some bills on the table. "But you need to figure out what makes you want to know so badly." Pam stood to leave.

"Because I don't want to lose him!" Sookie blurted.

Pam sat back down. "Now, that is interesting. Lose him, how?"

Sookie sighed. "He's all I have. I have a brother, Jason, but he's starting his own little family, separate from me. And, to be honest, I don't really like him all that much. My grandmother died a few years ago. My parents died when I was little. Eric has been there for me, for years, when I had no one else. I can't handle losing someone else I love."

Pam smiled. "Ah, love. One can love in so many ways. Parental love, fraternal love, romantic love. How do you love Eric, Sookie? Like a brother? The way you're acting, I don't think so. How would you lose him if he had sex with me? Would you be interrogating me if I had had sex with, what's his name, Jason? And don't give me bullshit about him being married, because you know damn well what I mean," she said with her eyes narrowed.

"Eric is not the kind of guy who sleeps around. He wants to be with someone he loves," Sookie said sadly. "He had some one night stands in college, but he doesn't count those, so neither do I. If he falls in love with someone, I won't have him anymore."

Pam stood again. "Sookie, I want you to think very carefully about what you just said. _Very_ carefully. Then go to Eric and ask him your questions. He will be able to give you far more satisfactory answers than I can right now." And she left.

Sookie sipped her tea, thinking, "What the hell did Pam mean, think about what I said? I know what I said." She speared her salad with force. "Why the _fuck_ couldn't she just answer my fucking question? All I wanted was a simple yes or no."

She continued to think while she ate. "Okay, Eric's not a player. Otherwise, there'd be one of those number tickers like they have at the DMV on his door and a line in our parking lot." She smiled bitterly at the thought. "He hasn't had _any_ girlfriends that I can remember. And I would know. So why would a guy as amazing as Eric not try to find someone?

"Because I've always been in the way. He's been holding my hand and protecting me for years, that's why. He's been sacrificing his own happiness to take care of me." She thought of Sophie's warning when they moved in and the reality of her words hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Well, I'm not going to hold him back anymore. I'm going to remove myself from the equation. It's going to hurt like hell, but Eric deserves a chance to be happy." She steeled her resolve and started making plans in her mind. She would travel; see places she had dreamed about when she was younger. She had unlimited funds at her disposal. She would pack and leave within the week. She paid her check and went shopping.

A few hours later, she pulled into her parking lot and saw the green BMW parked next to Eric's sturdy, red Toyota. "Well, she certainly didn't waste any time," thought Sookie, throwing a sour look at the cars.

She went into her office and booted up her laptop. All the information she had collected about Montessori training came up on the screen. She closed it, figuring she'd some back to it... sometime. She pulled up searches for The Bahamas, Ireland, Greece, Russia, Japan. All the places she had read about, but wanted to see in reality. She was so involved in planning her itinerary, she hadn't heard Eric come in.

"Whatcha doing, Sook?" he asked quietly. He wasn't smiling; it was clear he's seen her plans over her shoulder.

"Well," she said, forcing her voice to sound light, "I thought I might do some traveling. Get out of Louisiana for awhile."

"For how long?"

"Umm... probably four to six months. Maybe longer. I'm not sure right now."

"When are you leaving?" His voice was flat, belying no emotion. But his hands were clenched in tight fists.

"By the end of the week."

She watched as Eric silently turned and walked down her steps. A few moments later, she jumped as her door slammed. She closed her eyes. She hadn't felt this scared in a long time.

"What the fuck did you say to her, Pam?" Eric was trembling with fury and Pam's eyes widened at the profanity. Eric didn't swear often and it was unexpected. Pam had come over to tell Eric about her meeting with Sookie. She had left the cafe feeling satisfied that, while she had not lied or broken confidences, she had left Sookie looking in the right direction. "She's leaving! For months! SHIT!" He ran his hands though his hair and looked at her, his blue eyes crazed.

"Have you thought that this may be for the best? To give you distance to live without her in your life?" Pam asked. "What is that saying... if you love something, set it free?"

"And if it comes back, it's yours forever. Yeah, I know it." Eric stopped his pacing and collapsed in his recliner. "But I don't want distance! I've tried distance. I had it for a year and a half after high school while I was at Tulane. I was fucking miserable. I lived for the breaks when I would come back home to her. I don't know how to life my life without her in it."

Pam tilted her head while she thought. "How do you _know_ she doesn't want you too? For God's sake, you two are practically married already. The only thing keeping it from being a marriage is the wall between your houses and a fucking ring. Hell, your relationship is better than some marriages. Longer lasting too. What the hell has stopped you from telling her what you want?"

"I told you: I push, she runs. But apparently, if I pull away, she runs too. I shouldn't have involved you. Things could have just stayed the same. But I trusted you, because you "_know women_'." He rolled his eyes and flicked her an irritated look.

Pam looked annoyed too, but at herself. "I _do_ know women. But Sookie is a very strange woman. She doesn't react the way a normal woman would."

Eric smirked. "She never has. She is utterly unpredictable. I've always loved that about her." Pam rolled her eyes back at him and Eric glared. "So you think I should let her go?"

"Nope. Uh-uh, buddy. I'm through trying to help you with her, except for one final suggestion," she said, rising to leave. "Man the fuck up and and tell her what you want."

****A/N:** Everyone who wants to smack Sookie upside her head, raise your hand. The writer's block is tightening it's grip, so please bear with me during delays. As always, please please please review. You guys can help drive the demon away. I will beg, if necessary.


	8. Chapter 8

****A/N:** Charlaine Harris owns the characters, but I am wholly responsible for their actions. Lemons ahoy!

**Chapter 8**

Eric was out of sorts all week. He was distracted at work, wondering if today was the day he would be coming home to an empty house. He didn't _really_ think Sookie would leave without saying goodbye, but she was acting strangely too. She was sullen and quiet, like she had been after Quinn's attack. Her walls were up again, and Eric didn't know how to get them down.

He often heard music thumping from her side. She played music that matched her mood. Instead of the poppy dance music that was her norm, he heard Seether, Garbage, Nine Inch Nails. Angry, mournful music that broke his heart.

As the end of the week drew closer. Eric's anxiety reached a fever pitch. He was short with his coworkers and ignored Pam's calls if they came in after business hours.

Friday evening came and Eric heard loud thunks coming through the wall. He went over and saw Sookie struggling to get a large suitcase down her stairs without toppling over herself. He sighed and grabbed the case from her and carried it down, putting it next to the door, where two others already sat. He looked up at her on the stairs, his eyes tired and sad. "Why are you doing this?"

Her eyes matched his for sadness. "You know why. I need to get away. I'm stuck right now."

"What about the people here who need you? What about Jason and your new niece or nephew?" Eric asked.

She scowled. "Jason doesn't need me. When I told him my plans, he told me to have fun and left to play pool with Hoyt. My niece or nephew doesn't know me yet, so they won't miss me. Even Michele has her own friends. I only visit when I get bored during the day. No one _needs_ me,"

Eric's eyes widened. "What about me, Sook?"

Sookie couldn't look him in the eyes. "You don't need me either. I'm a habit."

"A what?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"A habit, like nail biting or smoking. You've fallen into the habit of protecting me and sheltering me. It's a habit that has been standing in your way of finding someone to be happy with. You care too much to stop, and I really appreciate all you've done for me. But you deserve more. So I'm breaking the habit for you."

"A _habit_?" he asked, insulted. "A fucking habit? You stupid woman, I've been in love with you since we met!" he yelled, running his hand through his hair, a sure sign he was tense or upset.

"You don't love me. You're used to me. If... when I leave, you'll be able to find someone... less damaged. Someone not broken."

"You're not bro-"

"I AM, Eric! You should know better then anyone!" Sookie yelled at him. "You have your job, your mom, Pam. I am fucked up. I do nothing. I don't trust anyone. I have **NOTHING**! I _am_ broken. I need to heal. And I need to do it alone. I'm not bringing you down with me. Never again."

Eric was angry. "So you're trying to save me? You think that if you leave, I'll just move on? I don't want anyone else! I haven't for ten Goddamn years! I have held your hand and protected you because I love you." Sookie shook her head and opened her mouth to talk, but Eric stopped her. "No, you will not say that you're a habit or I'm used to you. I moved in here, spent time with you, made love with you because I am head-over-heels, crazy about you. Have you really, never even considered that?"

Sookie shook her head slowly. Eric couldn't believe how stubborn she was being. He grabbed her and kissed her hard, try to put every ounce of every emotion he'd felt for the past 10 years into the kiss. Her cheeks were coursing with tears and he felt her body shaking in his arms. He released her and she collapsed on the floor, crying.

"Did you sleep with Pam?" she asked in a tiny voice between sobs.

"Honey, Pam is gay. She was trying to make you jealous," he answered gently, sitting on the floor to hold her. "She had an incredibly stupid idea that if you thought I was interested in her, you would want to 'stake your claim', as she so elegantly put it. Do you love me, Sookie?" he asked suddenly.

She put her forehead on her knees, and wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't know how to love anyone. I loved my parents, and they died. I loved Gran, and she died. I love Jason, because he's my blood. But if he and I weren't related, I would never spend time with him. I thought I loved Quinn, but that was a fucking disaster. See? I'm broken!" she said, crying harder.

Eric was stunned. She had never spelled out so concisely why she lived life behind such thick walls. Everyone she had ever loved was either a dick, or dead. He continued to hold her until she calmed down. "Sook, do you really want to leave?"

"N-no," she hiccuped. "I wanted to give you space. I thought I was keeping you from being happy."

"And now?"

"I don't know. I don't want you to waste your time on me. What if I can't be fixed? What if I just sap all the joy out of your life and you end up miserable and resenting me for it? I don't know if I can give you any more than I already have." She sighed and wiped her eyes. "Do you still want me to stay? Knowing everything, do you still want me?"

Eric stood and pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the remaining dampness from her cheeks. "I will _always_ want you," he whispered and kissed her lips softly, tasting saline from her tears. She was slow to respond, but she did. When the height difference became too much, he carried her upstairs to her bedroom.

He laid her gently on the bed and kissed her eyes, her cheeks, her forehead before returning to her lips. His hand tangled in her hair and he held her tightly to him. He divested himself of his shirt while she did the same. After years of being "friends with benefits", he knew her body well, and he used it to his advantage. He nibbled softly on her ear lobe and nipped lightly at her collar bone while kissing and sucking on her neck. It never ceased to amazing him how silky her skin was, how she always smelled so good.

His hands kneaded her breasts, feeling her nipples harden like pebbles under his palms. He couldn't keep his mouth away from them. He gently licked and sucked on them as Sookie's breath started coming in gasps. She moaned as he lightly scraped his teeth over them before she recaptured his mouth for a searing kiss.

He was surprised as she rolled them over so that she was on top of him. She slid down his body and sucked on his nipples the way her had for her and he felt his eyes roll back in his head a little. She continued further down and took him in her mouth. This was something he hadn't asked for and never expected. Her talented mouth and tongue brought him to the brink several times, knowing when to ease off.

He wasn't able to hold back further. He flipped them over again and entered her deeply, groaning pleasurably at the sensation. "You're amazing," he whispered as he slowly rocked his hips, sliding in and out of her slowly. She writhed on the bed in ecstasy at the feeling coursing through her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he pulled her up to him. Their mouths met over and over again. She started whimpering as she ground herself against him. "Oh God!" She flung her head back, breathless and she reached her peak. "Oh God... Eric... oh God... oh! Oh! Oh!" Her nails scored his back as she came undone. He came with her, bellowing her name.

He collapsed next to her in a satisfied, post-coital, completely blissed out state. She put her head on his chest and curled up tightly against him as she went to sleep. He wrapped his arms around her and joined her in unconsciousness.

He smelled coffee brewing when he woke up the next morning. He went down the stairs, expecting to see Sookie sitting at her little kitchen table. He saw a piece of paper sitting on her table with his name scrawled in huge letters. He looked back toward the front door and the suitcases were gone. Trembling, he sank into a chair to read.

"_Dearest Eric,_

_ Thank you for so much, I can't even name. You have touched me in a way no one else was ever able to. But I will not condemn you to a life of uncertain happiness. I am not able to share anyone's life right now. I need to make myself better before I can commit to anyone. You deserve a chance to make a life with someone who can make you as happy as you make them. I am terminally unhappy, and you know it's true. Last night, I unforgivably let you believe that we were starting a new stage in our relationship. And I'm sorry. I'm so very, very sorry to do this to you. But please move on. Feel free to live here as long as you want. I'm not coming back until I feel that I can live happily by myself. I do love you, but I can't love you in the way that you deserve to loved._

_Always,_

_Sookie_

****A/N:** I won't lie, I cried a little writing Sookie's letter. *shields self from projectiles flying at her head* But I have the next 2 days off, so who knows what the future holds? (well, I do, but no spoilers). Please review, even if it's just to cuss me out.


	9. Chapter 9

****A/N:** Another short chapter, but the baby took a short nap and I was stuck for a little while. Charlaine Harris own the characters, but I put them into my world and am wholly responsible for their actions while they visit.

**Chapter 8**

_**7 months later...**_

Sookie dug her toes into the warm sand and scrolled through her I-pod. The day was warm and clear with a refreshing breeze, but she still wanted to listen to her sullen, angry rock.

She had left Louisiana on an early flight to Houston, where she had managed to get a non-stop flight to Tokyo. After getting over the jet lag of being almost a day ahead, she decided to enjoy her time. She tried sushi for the first time and loved it. She saw the iconic architecture of Japan and watched modern day geisha display their arts. She was enchanted, then quickly bored. She knew this was not where she needed to be and flew to Moscow after a month.

She stayed near the Kremlin and again was fascinated by the architecture of the churches and cathedrals that was so uniquely Russian in design. 2 weeks after arriving, she took a train to St. Petersburg. She spent a week there before moving on. She flew into Greece and fell in love.

She had always had a fondness for mythology, and the stories of the Olympians, especially. She stayed for a month in Athens immersing herself in the history. She went to the Acropolis and the Parthenon. She went on day trips to Crete and Delphi to see famous ruins. Leaving Athens, she traveled on to Mykonos, but only stayed 2 days. It was entirely too busy and "touristy" for her to enjoy.

She discovered the western island of Corfu and the little town of Kaminaki and decided to rent a coastal villa. She explored royal palaces and museums. She took tours of vineyards and olive orchards. She had a brief, torrid affair with a lifeguard named Zander after she cut her foot on the beach. He was dark, and handsome, and romantic, but it was not enough to keep her from moving on after 2 months.

She landed in Dublin and was enchanted. She had been a huge fan of "Gone With the Wind" and "Scarlett". She loved taking the train to Galway and seeing the castles that peppered the island. She walked the hills of the original Tara in County Meath. However charmed as she was by the ancient land, she couldn't help but want to keep moving.

She flew from Dublin to Nassau and was picked up at the airport by a chauffeur hired by the resort. As soon as she saw the Royal Towers of the Atlantis, she knew she was in the wrong place. She only spent a week there, indulging in spa treatments and learning to snorkel. She also spent the time asking the locals that worked at the resort for somewhere more isolated. They directed her to Andros Island.

Her rental had a pool and a private beach, and all the modern amenities. Except for a caretaker that lived off the premises, she was completely and utterly alone. She reveled in the solitude of being kept company by nothing but her thoughts.

She tried to come to terms with the fragments of emotions floating around in her head and her heart. She still wasn't happy, but it felt like her pieces were being glued back together. She called home, to Jason, once a month to let him know she was still alive and where she was. She wouldn't let herself call Eric until she could tell him what he wanted to hear, and tell him honestly.

_**7 months later...**_

Eric hunched over his computer finalizing several protection orders in silence. He hadn't listened to any classical music since _she_ had left. Anything that reminded him of her was banned from his life.

He had gone into a kind of shock after reading the letter she had left for him. He didn't know how long he had sat there, staring blankly, before Pam walked in. She had found his side unlocked, but deserted, and on a whim, she decided to check Sookie's side. She found him sitting in the same chair he had sunk into that morning. Wordlessly, he handed her the letter.

Pam read the letter three, four times, her eyes wide with disbelief. "That stupid little bitch! What the fuck was she thinking?" she yelled. Eric just shook his head and went back over to his side.

He pulled out his own battered and worn luggage and started packing his essentials. Pam saw his intention and started helping. Once he had enough together for a couple of weeks, he packed his car and drove to Bon Temps.

Sophie still lived in the same small rental that she had lived in since Eric was a child. She saw the red Toyota pull in next to her battered Buick and went out to greet her baby with a smile and a hug. Then she saw his face. The smile evaporated from her face as she stood frozen on her porch. "What happened?" she asked.

"She's gone, Mom. Sookie left. I told her how I felt last night and she ran. While I was asleep. She left me a fucking letter. I can't stay there anymore. Can I stay here until I find a new apartment in Shreveport?" he asked her, his voice flat and emotionless.

Sophie agreed immediately. She knew better then to bad mouth Sookie in his hearing, but he couldn't read her thoughts. She had known for years that the rich little bitch was going to break her baby's heart, but she had stopped trying long ago to get Eric away from Sookie. The girl was like a drug to him, and there was no rehab for an addiction to hot blondes with destructive impulses.

Eric went to work and did the best he could on little to no sleep. He used his lunch hours to find an affordable apartment. After three years of living rent-free, he had saved a nice little nest egg to soften to blow. He found a decent one bedroom with a den that he could easily afford. He paid the deposit and signed the lease that day.

The following weekend, Eric, Sophie, and Pam met at the duplex to pack the remainder of his things and the furniture he would need in his own apartment.

He set up a miniature version of his office in the tiny den. There was just enough room for his desk and file cabinet, but it was all he needed.

He worked on his project listlessly until one day when Pam showed up at his office unexpectedly. "Come with me, I'm taking you on a drive," she said, dragging him away from his desk.

She drove him to an institutional-looking building and brought him inside. She entered an office and said, "Please tell Ms. Thornton that Pam Ravenscroft and Eric Northman are here to see her," to the young woman behind a desk. She stood and stuck her head in the door behind the desk and spoke quietly. Opening the door wide, she said, "She's ready for you."

Tara Thornton stood, gesturing them into her office and shaking their hands. "I wanted to put some candidates in for placement into the first home. Ms. Ravenscroft, you said it should be opening in about 2 months, correct?" Pam nodded.

She took out a stack of files and she went through each folder explaining why each girl deserved specialized placement. Eric was horrified by some of the things these girls had had to live through.

The meeting ended and Pam led him back to the car. As they started driving, she said, "Kind of puts your misery in perspective, huh?" Eric started to speak, but Pam stopped him. "I am not dismissing your feelings in the slightest. But for each girl we admit into our homes, there are 50 more like her in the system and 50 more either coming in or aging out. _They_ are who I am pushing you for. Can you appreciate their suffering? Because that's what we're trying to prevent. I need you to think about _their_ pain when you're working, rather then your own."

Eric took the point and it worked, to an extent. He escaped his heartbreak by throwing himself wholeheartedly into creating the necessary connections to get the homes off the ground.

But at night, when he had finished the work, Eric found his oblivion in a bottle. With Scotch, he didn't dream about Sookie.

Five more months passed and Sookie reclined on the beach, enjoying the pinks and oranges of the sunset. She hadn't had a melancholy episode in several months. She had lived in the Andros Island villa for over half a year and felt at peace and relaxed. She considered purchasing her own property on the sparse island. But she couldn't, at least, not yet. Not before she finished her business back home. She struggled to stand and massaged the tiny kicks assaulting her abdomen from the inside. She hopped on her laptop and started arranging for when she would return to Shreveport, after the birth of her child.

****A/N**: In case anyone is unclear on the math, the baby is **not** Eric's. Sookie was still self-destructive in Greece and didn't take proper precautions with Zander. Nothing like impending motherhood to take the focus off yourself. Yes, I know it's not going to be popular, but it's necessary. I promise. Review! I want to know all your thoughts, good and bad.


	10. Chapter 10

****A/N:** Holy cow, was Sookie getting pregnant by Zander an unpopular decision! I spent a lot of time responding to reviews with PM. When I make a decision with these characters, in my world, there's _always_ a reason. It becomes clear what that reason is eventually. As always, Charlaine Harris owns the characters, I'm just playing dress up with them.

**Chapter 10**

Sookie looked down at the dark curly head nestled in the sling across her chest and smiled. Alana was almost a month old and she was already sleeping through the night. Sookie had called Jason to give him her flight information and a list of things she needed him to pick up for her. To be on the safe side, she also sent him an email. And copied Michele.

She packed a few last things and looked around the villa to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything and fastened Alana in her car seat. She drove to the harbor, stopping to drop off the rental keys at the caretaker's cottage. She and the baby took a charter boat back to Paradise Island to catch the flight out of Nassau.

She met Jason at the Shreveport airport with a gigantic hug. Her brother looked at her with amazement. "You look incredible, little sis! Motherhood agrees with you!" He looked down at the covered carrier. "Is that my niece? Can I see her?"

Sookie pulled him toward the baggage claim. "You can see her while I buckle in the base for her car seat. You brought Michele's car, right? Not the truck?" Jason nodded. "Good. I need your muscles focused on helping me with my bags first." They got the luggage to the car and loaded it where they could. While Sookie worked on getting the base secure in the back seat, Jason cooed at the baby.

Jason pulled up to what Sookie would always consider Gran's house. She saw her blue Audi under the carport and was grateful to her brother and his wife for bringing it back from her duplex once Eric had moved out.

Eric was the only part of her new life that made her uneasy. She was happy, and healthy, and crazy in love with Alana. But she missed her friend. She knew that the loss of her friendship with Eric was entirely on her. But she had done what she felt was best for everyone at the time.

Michele greeted them at the door with a sleepy blond baby on her hip. She handed Austin off to his daddy and took her turn hugging Sookie. They exclaimed expressively over each others children. Jason joined Michele to put Austin to bed while Sookie nursed Alana and put her in the travel crib Jason had put in Sookie's old room.

The babies asleep, the adults sat on the porch drinking sweet tea in the warm evening air. Jason sat across from Sookie and looked at her intently. "I know we haven't talked a whole lot over the past year. But are you going to tell me about Alana? I get a call out of the blue a month ago from you asking me to use Michele's car to pick you up at the airport so you can put in a car seat and wanting me to get you a bassinet travel crib. Sis, I want to know. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but please say you know who Alana's father is."

Sookie looked insulted. "Jason, of course I do. I count on the fingers on one hand the number of men I've been with and have change left over. Alana's father is a lifeguard I met in Greece. His name is Zander Lampros. Actually, I didn't even know I was pregnant until I was on Andros. I was surprised, but not unhappy. To be honest, she's the main reason that I was able to let go of all the shit cluttering my head and just be happy with what God's given me."

Jason shook his head. "I always thought it was going to be you and Eric. You guys were inseparable for so long."

Sookie frowned. "So did I, for a long time. And I'm pretty sure he did too. He was everything to me for so long. But it wasn't really right for either of us. Not then. I wasn't able to give him what he wanted. He wasn't able to look outside 'us' to see if there was someone else who could make him happier. And, to be fair, I wasn't able to, either. I didn't want to see him with anyone else, but I couldn't give him what he deserved. A change had to happen. So I left. Everything I got to experience helped me appreciate what I have. And I still don't know if I'm going to stay in Louisiana. I was so happy and calm on the island. If the feeling stays with me, I'll stay. But if the anxiety and tension returns, Alana and I will head back to Andros."

"Sookie, you know Jason and I will always be here for you if you ever need anything. But you need to do what is best for you and that beautiful baby girl upstairs and damn anyone who doesn't like it! All I would ask is for a little more advance notice then you gave last time you left. You tell us you're thinking of traveling, then we get a call three days later from Tokyo! A little more preparation please, next time," Michele requested. "I want Austin and Alana to be close, along with any other little ones that might come along."

"I'll do the best I can and leave it at that. I'm not making promises to anyone if I can't be 100 percent sure that I'll keep them," she said. She finished her tea and went in to put her glass in the sink. "I think I'm going to turn in. Tomorrow I'm going to head home and get what I need to baby proof and set up Alana's room. Jase, if I need help putting stuff together and getting things installed, can I count on you?"

She had been pleased at the turn around in her brother since Austin had been born. He had become calmer, responsible, and involved in helping Michele raise the baby. They had talked more on the phone once Austin had been born and Sookie told him she was pregnant. Family had started to mean something to him. He agreed to be on call for her tomorrow and Sookie went to bed.

She woke up early to feed and change Alana, then went to the kitchen to get herself a cup of coffee. She swaddled the baby and put her in the sling. She sat on the porch rocking chair sipping and making a list of things she would need. On the island, she had ordered deliveries from online shops, but kept things very simple. While the baby slept, Sookie showered and loaded the bags into her car. She was pleased to see that Jason had left a small spare tool box on the floor board and had already installed the car seat base; that thing was a bitch to get in right.

She drove to her duplex. It looked strange and lonely. She took Alana and the travel crib in first and once they were set up, she went out to unload the car. She walked through the rooms and saw that every piece of electronics and all her appliances had been unplugged and her freezer and refrigerator were empty. She'd have to thank who ever had done that.

The letter she had written Eric fourteen months ago was still on her kitchen table, covered in dust. She suppressed her tears and feelings of guilt. She had more pressing matters she had to attend to.

After nursing and changing the baby again and making sure her backpack/diaper bag was fully stocked, she took her list and headed for Babies R Us. She swaddled Alana again and put her in the sling when she got to the store. It was truly the most valuable thing she had purchased online after Alana was born.

She stocked up first on diapers and baby proofing supplies. She found a crib that she liked fairly quickly and a glider chair to match. She got the mattress and had fun picking out sheet sets and blankets. Having only ever shopped for the basics online and never shopping for a baby before, she was almost gleeful at all the options she had available. She poured through the clothing. She looked forward to dressing her little girl in more then the white onsies that she had lived in since she was born. But that was all that was needed on the island.

She was so preoccupied in the choices that she ran smack into another woman. After making sure Alana wasn't disturbed, she looked up at the perfectly straight pale blonde hair and beautiful face. "Sookie?" a voice asked quietly, with a lot of wonder and a little fear.

"Pam?" she asked. "What are you doing in a baby store?"

"I could ask you the same thing. I always prepare a supply basket for expecting girls at the homes when their due dates get close, if they decide they want to keep the baby. Is this your... niece?" She guessed, seeing the pink blankets in the cart.

"This is Alana Adele Stackhouse, my daughter," she said proudly. She adored her little girl and she would allow no one to shame her for having a child, out of wedlock or without a father.

Pam's eyes widened and she momentarily lost the ability to speak. She shook her head and regained her senses. She peered into the sling at the tiny face. "Well, she's a beauty! How old is she?"

"Almost a month. She was born in The Bahamas. I got back last night."

"I see," said Pam, still stunned. "And... her father? Did he come with you?"

"I assume he's still in Greece," said Sookie, nonchalantly. "That's where he lives, so I suppose he's still there. We haven't exactly kept in touch since I left."

"I see," said Pam again, at a loss for what else to say.

Sookie looked over what she had in her cart and the items she'd crossed off that would have to be delivered. She made sure she had everything. "Pam, it's been nice seeing you, but I have to get back to the duplex and make it liveable again. I'm going to check out. Take care," she said and headed for the registers.

Pam stood where she was, shell-shocked. She watched Sookie leave. She finished her own shopping and drove to the group home to present the basket. In a daze, she drove around for hours afterward, debating with herself. Once she came to a decision, she drove to Eric's apartment.

He answered the door with a rocks glass of Scotch in his hand. She walked in without a word, took the glass from his hand, tossed the amber liquid down her own throat, then poured the rest down the drain. She hunted around until she found the bottle and poured it out too. "Sit," she ordered.

"What the fuck, Pam?" he asked wearily. He was on his own time and didn't need her pushiness. "Why'd you pour out my drink? And my bottle?" His voice was already slightly slurred.

"I said, sit," she repeated and stared him down until he obeyed. "I have some news for you and I want you to comprehend what I say. I debated all day whether or not to tell you. I finally decided that it would be better to hear it from a friend the to be taken by surprise. I poured out your liquor, because I don't want you crawling back in the bottle once I tell you. You listening to me?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. What is it?" Eric grumbled.

Pam knelt in front of him and looked right into his reddened eyes. "She's back. With her daughter."

****A/N:** It seems as though Sookie has grown up some in the past year and change. Eric on the other hand... Well, I want reviews. Am I forgiven? Did Pam do the right thing? Let me know what you think pretty pretty please.


	11. Chapter 11

****A/N:** Okay, So here's the answers to some questions. Eric has finally grown a backbone. Charlaine Harris owns these characters, I just put them in different clothes and played with them.

**Chapter 11**

Pam knelt in front of him and looked right into his reddened eyes. "She's back. With her daughter."

"Who's back? Who's daughter? Pam, what the hell are you talking about?" Eric asked, his eyes hazy with confusion.

"Oh, for Christ's sake, I should have gotten here earlier," Pam muttered to herself. "Eric, Sookie is back in in Shreveport. And she has a daughter. She's moving back into the duplex."

Eric's eyes started to unfog. "Is it mine?" he asked dully.

"No," Pam replied.

"Is she staying?" he asked.

"I don't know. We only spoke for a moment. I was a little too stunned at seeing her to ask about present and future plans," Pam said.

"Why are you telling me?" asked Eric, irritated. "If she didn't care enough to tell me herself, why are you?"

"Have you thought that after a year, she may not know how to contact you? Or that she's scared? You've moved and your phone number has changed. She probably thinks too much of you to use email. Are you going to see her?"

Eric stood and began pacing, raking his hands through his hair. "I don't know! How am I supposed to feel about her? She leaves me a fucking letter and disappears for 14 months without a word. I had no idea where she is or even if she was alive or fucking dead. And she reappears out of nowhere, with a _kid_? What am I supposed to do with that? You drop a bomb like that in my lap and expect me to have answers?"

Pam's eyes narrowed. "I didn't ask you how you feel about everything. I asked if you want to see her."

His eyes blazed as he looked at her. "Of course I want to see her. But I don't know if I should. Maybe she was right about herself all along. I _am_ miserable as hell and I resent the fuck out of her for it. But she's like an addiction! Now that I know she's here, I want a fix. Am I fucking idiot, or just a glutton for punishment?"

Pam thought about it and answered compassionately. "Neither. I think you want answers from a girl who broke your heart without giving you a decent reason. As much as I hate the term, I think you want closure."

Alana woke Sookie with her hungry cries the next morning. She smiled and changed the baby, then sat in the glider, nursing. The routine for caring for an infant had come naturally to Sookie. She loved the daily pattern and adored her daughter with all her heart. She had her day completely planned out and looked forward to the activity.

After the baby was clean, fed, and dressed, Sookie placed her in the infant swing she had gotten the previous day. She started vacuuming and dusting. After another cycle of changing and feeding, Sookie worked on moving her desk into her room and setting up the crib in the second bedroom. She also put together the changing table and moved the travel crib to a corner of the living room, with it's own little changing station.

She took the freshly laundered sheets, blankets, and clothes from her dryer and started folding. She normally hated cleaning, but she loved folding laundry. It soothed her.

All the work completed, she looked around, satisfied. Then her stomach growled. She realized she needed to go to the grocery store and started making a list.

Ninety minutes later, she returned and started unloading the car after putting Alana in the swing. On her third trip out to get bags, she saw a red Toyota pulling in. She ran the bags into her kitchen and came out to stand on the porch. The driver parked and got out.

"Eric," she breathed, as butterflies came to life in her stomach. His appearance had only slightly changed since she left. The biggest difference was the hardness in his eyes when he looked at her.

"So, you _are_ back. Pam was right," Eric stated bitterly.

"I got back two nights ago," she said quietly. "I spent the first night with Jason and Michele. I got to meet my nephew."

"And they got to meet their niece, right?" he asked wryly with a raised eyebrow.

Sookie stiffened. "Pam didn't leave anything out. Yes, they got to meet my Alana." As if on cue, tiny wails came from the living room. Sookie looked toward the door. "I have to go in."

"Am I invited? Do I get to meet 'your Alana' also?" he asked, his voice piercing her heart.

"If you like," she replied tightly, and led him in. She got the crying baby from the swing and changed her diaper and swaddled her, then laid her in the bassinet. She started putting her groceries away as Eric stood and watched her silently. She got the baby and sat in her rocker to feed her. She hadn't bought a nursing cape, so she made due with a receiving blanket wrapped around her neck and draped over her chest. Eric's silent staring was starting to freak her out. Finally, having enough, she said, "If you have something to say, Eric, spit it out."

"What do you want me to say, Sookie? That I'm glad you're back? That Alana is beautiful? That motherhood becomes you? Do you want me to say what you want to hear?"

"No, I want you to tell me what's on your mind."

"Fine. I'm mad as hell that you left. I'm pissed that you got yourself knocked up. I'm furious that you didn't care enough to let anyone know where you were or when you were coming home. And I'm insulted that you show up with a kid and don't offer any explanation to the man who loved you for most of his life."

"What kind of explanation do you want? Do you want the truth? Knowing that it will hurt you?" she asked softly.

"Honestly, I don't know what can hurt me more then you leaving after making love to me. And staying away for over a year,"

"Fine. I went to Greece, met a lifeguard, had sex with him multiple times, sometimes without protection, and left. I found out I was pregnant in The Bahamas and didn't consider for even a second getting an abortion or giving it up for adoption," she said. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Eric looked taken aback. "Maybe not so bluntly, but then, I forgot who I was asking."

Sookie detached the baby from her breast and put her back in the bassinet. "I found myself in The Bahamas, I discovered what I needed and what I was able to remove from my life to be happy. I was still putting myself together on the little island when I found out I was going to have Alana. I wanted to get back to my family. I wanted Alana to know her Uncle Jason and Aunt Michele."

"And I suppose you didn't even give me a thought, huh?" Eric asked bitterly. "Didn't think about what having you come back would do to me, right?"

"Eric, I thought about you a lot. I was furious with myself for what I did to you." Eric scoffed skeptically. "I _was_! When when it came down to it, I knew you were better off without me," she shrugged and looked him in the eyes. "I know you thought you loved me, and I knew that I loved you, in my weird, twisted, fucked-up way. But it wasn't healthy for either of us and you know that's God's honest truth."

"I **did** love you. You fucking ripped my heart out when you left me that Goddamned note. Anything that reminded me of you made me literally nauseous. While you were plane hopping and seeing the world, I was physically sick over you. You're saying that leaving me that way was better then staying?" he demanded.

"I had to do what was best for _both_ of us. I could have stayed. But I would have destroyed you and ruined myself because of it. I would have made you miserable and frustrated beyond where you are, even now. You may not believe it, but I **know** it." Sookie looked at him with pleading for understanding clear in her deep blue eyes.

"And where does a baby come into the picture?"

"Alana was a surprise, but the best one I could imagine." Her face softened and looked toward the bassinet. "Having her growing inside me helped me decide what I really needed in my life. I needed my family. I got in touch with Jason. We got closer while I was gone, ironically. I wanted to get in touch with you, but, frankly, I was scared."

"You were scared? Of me?"

"Not of you, of your reaction." Sookie paced around, trying to arrange her thoughts into words. "Eric, nothing I could say would have given you comfort. Nothing I could say would give you back the part of you that I ripped out of you and that was something I had to come to terms with. Nothing I could say or do could compensate you for the pain that I caused. And I know that I took the coward's way out when I left you that letter. I have no other excuse then I thought it was the best way at the time. And I'll understand if you don't forgive me. I'm not asking you to. That would be too much for me to expect. But I would hope that, seeing me now and hearing my explanations, you might be able to see where I was coming from then and appreciate where I'm coming from now."

"You're asking a lot from me. But you always did. You _never_ thought about how your actions affected anyone else. I never thought about how truly _selfish_ you were until you were gone. And you didn't even realize it! It was like you were... _entitled_ to have everything your way and damn the consequences on anyone else."

"I know I was. I was a selfish, heartless bitch. But now I'm making decisions based on what's best for my daughter. And I still say damn the consequences."

"What about when she wants to know who her father is? What are you going to tell her?" he asked angrily.

"I'll tell her the truth. Maybe not as directly as I told you earlier, but I'll be honest with her."

"And what about him? Doesn't your Greek lifeguard deserve to know he has a child?"

For the first time, she looked ashamed. "I suppose he does. But I had his number when we started our little fling. I haven't seen him in almost a year. He's already moved onto his next surfer girl or beach bunny. I'd be surprised if he remembers my name, to be honest."

"And you chose to have a child by a guy like that?" he asked incredulously.

"I was tested for everything when I found out I was pregnant. Thank God I was clean. The child isn't a living incarnation of its parent's sins. The moment I heard her little heartbeat, I was head over heels in love. It was the most amazing feeling. It opened up a part of me that I thought I had sealed off. And it made me want more. That's why I reconnected with Jason." She looked tenderly at the tiny coos coming from the bassinet. "I was going to try to find you once I had gotten settled here." She looked up at him with tenderness. "Like I said, I don't expect forgiveness, but...," she trailed off.

Eric shook his head. "You never tire of asking for more then you deserve. I can't give you anything right now. And don't hold your breath for the future. I'm glad to see you're healthy and happy and in love with your child. But don't expect _anything_ from me. Not for a long time, if ever." He turned and walked out the door.

Sookie watched him leave, sank into her rocker, and cried herself to sleep.

****A/N:** To be completely honest, I have no idea where to go from here. Is there anywhere to go? Also, on a personal note, I have RA and have been having awful seasonal flare-ups and it makes typing hell. If I do keep going, there will be delays. Please Please Please review. It really makes my day to hear what you think, even if it's negative. Nothing motivates me like constructive criticism.


	12. Chapter 12

****A/N:** First, you guys are THE BEST! I was convinced to not end the story and figure out a way to bring our beloved Eric and Sookie back to each other. Again, you guys convinced me to put pencil to paper (literally, I edit while I type what I've written on breaks at work) and work it out. I don't own the characters, Charlaine Harris does. I'm just taking them out of her world to play in mine for a little while.

**Chapter 12**

"Mama! No wan bees! Wan kikis!" Alana yelled from her high chair as she the the offending green beans to the floor.

Sookie scooped them up and threw them in the sink, then got more out of the pot on the stove to replace them. "Alana, if you want cookies, you have to eat your green beans first. And if you want to get down, you better eat every last one. Uncle Jason is coming by with Austin and you won't be able to play if you're stuck in your chair, Missy!"

"Unca Jay! Asdin!" she squealed happily and started shoving the beans in her mouth. Sookie smiled at her and started picking up toys from the floor and putting them in the toy box in the corner of the living room. Alana loved seeing her uncle, aunt, and cousin. Michele was expecting again and Jason wanted to be at every doctor's appointment. Sookie was more then happy to watch her nephew a few times a month, even keeping him overnight a few times to give Jason and Michele some alone time.

"Mama! Wan kikis!" Alana cried again, and held her empty plate over her head. Sookie took it from her and put it in the dishwasher, then gave her daughter 2 vanilla wafers.

"Lana, you want me to call Amelia and see if Luke and Grace can come over too?" Shortly after getting settled back in Shreveport, Sookie had started going to all kinds of Mommy and Me activities, like play groups, swimming lessons, and story times. A young mom with twins the same age as Alana was at all the same activities. Sookie had forced her way out of her shell and introduced herself. Amelia Broadway-Dawson was eccentric and definitely marched to her own drummer. Sookie adored her.

Alana clapped her little hands. "Wuke! Gwacie! Yea! Good mama!:" Sookie chuckled and called her friend to make plans. Then she cleaned the bean particles and soggy cookie residue off Alana and got her out of the high chair as the door bell rang.

"Unca Jay!" Alana yelled as Sookie went to answer the door.

"Hold you horses, little missy," she said, expecting to get bowled over by Austin. Instead, she looked back in shock. "Eric?" she gasped.

In the past two years, the had seen each other randomly around town. Places that were unavoidable, like the bank, the grocery store, and the gym. They were always cordial and polite, but there was no hint of the close friendship that previously existed.

Alana ran up to the door, looked up, and her face fell. "No Unca Jay," she pouted and stomped off disappointed. Eric chuckled. "She certainly is direct."

Sookie was still stunned. She said quietly, "Jason and Austin are coming over. And a friend with her twins. Alana's a little excited. What are you doing here?"

"One would think you weren't happy to see me. Can I come in?" Eric asked, still smiling.

Eric had walked out that same door two years ago, feeling nothing but relief. All the poison he'd been holding in had neutralized once he told Sookie what she had done to him. He had a social life now. He had gone out on several dates, even had a serious relationship that had burned hot and flamed out after several months. He had stopped drinking to excess and started working out again as a form of stress relief after work. He felt a lot clearer and happier than he had in a long time. With his now abundance of mental health, he wanted to see if even a casual relationship was possible with the girl who had almost destroyed him. He had seen her around town, both with and without Alana. He had been pleasantly surprised by the lack of pain it caused him as time passed. On a whim, he decided to drop by and see her.

"Of c-course. Come in," Sookie stuttered and stepped back to allow him to enter. He looked around, surprised.

"You remodeled," he said as he looked over the open first floor.

"Well, I never wanted to be a landlord and rent the other side out. I knocked out the wall down here and made a door through the wall between the two master bedrooms upstairs. Alana needed room to play, so it just made sense. We lived with Jason and Michele while the work was done. Alana was in heaven. We moved back in maybe... eight or nine months ago, I think? Something like that. Alana had just started walking when I decided to start the work and it took about 4 months, so that seems right. They connected the kitchens and removed some appliances and built new counters and installed some new cabinets. It's like a whole new house."

"It looks that way," said Eric, looking around, amazed at the difference and amount of space created by removing one wall.

A small blond comet hurtled through the still open door and knocked Sookie onto the couch. "Ant Sook!" the comet yelled. A tiny dark meteor joined the pileup yelling, "Asdin!"

Jason came in laughing. "Austin was a little excited to see you 'Ant Sook'." He turned with a start. "Eric. Didn't expect to see you here. It's been a few years." He didn't smile at his old teammate. He stumbled as Alana screamed, "Unca Jay!" and jumped at him off the couch. He just barely caught her. He swung her around and gave her a big hug.

"Jase, Amelia is coming over with Luke and Grace a little later. I thought I'd let the kids splash in the pool. I have some trunks for Austin and sunblock. That okay?"

"Sure, you know Austin's a water bug. But Michele is antsy to get to the doctor, so I better be getting back. Love ya buddy!" he called to his son. "Love ya, princess!" he said to Alana. "Love ya, sis," he whispered to Sookie and kissed the top of her head. He quietly closed the door behind him.

"Holy sh...oot", Eric said, changing his language at the look of warning Sookie shot him, "Jason's a grown-up!" He looked closer at Sookie. "I guess you're a grown-up too."

"I have been for a while now. Letting go of all the negative sh...tuff and focusing on being a good mom, or dad, in Jason's case, can make you grow up. Look, if you want to hang around, meet Amelia, one of my 'mom' friends, you're welcome to." She grabbed two little hands to lead the kids upstairs. "Help yourself to anything in the fridge. We need to change into bathing suits."

Eric watched her struggle to get the two toddlers up the stairs without anyone falling over. He laughed to himself about the change in her. A few minutes later, after getting himself a glass of lemonade, Austin barreled into the kitchen. He looked up at Eric and said, "Duce."

"Austin, say 'Juice, please.'," came Sookie's voice from the stairs, both reminding the child of his manners and helping Eric decipher toddler lingo. "Duce, pees," Austin repeated dutifully.

She entered the kitchen wearing a black and purple bikini, Alana following behind in an aqua "Ariel" bathing suit. "Eric, can you help me for a sec? I need you to grab me four sippy cups: blue, pink, green and yellow. And I need you to fill them ¾ full of the filtered water in the fridge. I have sunblock to apply." She grabbed Austin first as he was the squirmiest and coated every inch of exposed skin with SPF 50, then did the same to Alana. Once the kids were properly smeared, she got the juice out of the refrigerator. "We follow strict color-coding with the kids. Alana's yellow, Austin is green, Amelia's twins, Luke and Grace, get blue and pink. The kids know which color belongs to them, so there's no mix-ups or arguments." She filled the cups the rest of the way with the juice, screwed on the caps, and put them back in the refrigerator. "It makes life much easier."

"Hello?" called a voice from the front door, to which Sookie replied, "We're in the kitchen."

A lovely young brunette was struggling with a bag and two children. The boy was a carbon copy of his mother. The girl had a mane of wild black curls and a stockier frame. Eric guessed she took after her dad.

"Amelia, Luke, Grace, I'd like you to meet an old friend, Eric. Now are you guys ready to splash?"

"Yeah Miss Sook!" the twins squealed in unison and all four kids ran through the back door, where a covered, inflatable wading pool dominated the back deck. Amelia and Sookie pulled the cover off and joined Eric under the umbrella to watch the kids play.

Eric took in the relaxed Sookie. The calm that she had while watching the children. The ease at her laughter while she chatted with her friend. He realized, that for maybe the first time, he was seeing her comfortable in her own skin. He didn't know _this_ Sookie and wanted to get to know who she was now.

Sookie saw Eric watching her. "Amelia," she said, "I'm going in to get the snacks and some more sunblock. Join me, Eric?" she asked.

Amelia smiled. "I can hold down the fort for a little bit. Take your time."

Eric rose and followed Sookie into the kitchen. While she got the sippy cups out of the refrigerator and filled a small bowl with animal crackers, she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Spill, Eric. What's with the staring?"

"I just realized that I don't know you anymore," he said innocently. "I think I want to know the new you."

"You do?" she asked skeptically. "Forgive me for bringing up bad times, but I was under the impression that you didn't want anything to do with me."

Eric nodded. "I didn't, for a long time. But I did what you were trying to force me to do. I moved on. I've seen other people, had a few relationships. And I realized it didn't hurt to see you anymore. I realized I wanted to know you again."

"So you think we're past all the pain and resentment?" Sookie asked hopefully. "You think we can be friends again?"

"I think we can try." Eric shrugged. "We have a lot of history behind us, and while it's not all good, it's definitely not all bad either. It's not awful as a starting point."

"MAMA! Wan duce and kikis pees!" Alana screamed from outside.

Sookie laughed. "Duty calls," she said and loaded up the cups and bowl for the hungry toddlers. Eric followed carrying the bottle of sunblock she forgot to grab.

"Amelia, it was nice meeting you. Kids, be good. Sookie, you'll hear from me soon. I'll leave you to enjoy your afternoon playdate." And Eric left, smiling.

Sookie watched him go with a wistful smile. "Girlfriend," said Amelia as she doled out the cups and crackers, "I think you have a long story to tell me."

****A/N:** So, you know I'm gonna ask. How'd I do? Is it believable? I wanted to show some maturation in Sookie and Eric as... well... not as down. I read back over my chapters, and he hasn't been a real happy guy. Review review review please please please.


	13. Chapter 13

****A/N: **Okay, was surprised by the lack of response to the last chapter. I'll let you guys in on my dirty little creative writing secret. I'm GREAT at beginnings, I'm okay at endings... I **suck** at middles. I always have. I always end up having more planned for my characters than I did when I started. The journey becomes more clear to me the longer I write. I know where I want to go... I think the characters have to go thru some major experiences before they can get there. This is the first format I've had where I can play out the entire journey in my head. Charlaine Harris owns the characters, I'm just giving them an all-inclusive vacation in my world for a little while.

**Chapter 13**

Amelia dragged Sookie out to her car. "Come on, how long has it been since you went out? I mean, as an adult? Jason and Michele are watching Alana for the weekend. You have two whole days to be young! You're not even thirty yet!"

Sookie shrugged off Amelia's grip. "I know how old I am, Mia. I'm just not really a 'bar hop' kind of girl. I never have been. My idea of a good night is a big glass of iced tea and a good book on the deck. Throw in a citronella candle, and I'm in heaven. Why are you dragging me out again?"

Amelia gave an exasperated sigh. "I told you, Tray has a single friend who is willing to be set up. We thought of you."

"And why did I agree?" Sookie grumbled

"Because you are a gorgeous young woman who needs a life! What do you do besides take care of Alana all day and talk to Eric a few times a week on the phone? For a girl who country-hopped across the northern hemisphere, you sure are _boring_! There is nothing wrong with going out and acting your age. Alana is having a blast with her cousin and is being well taken care of by her uncle and aunt. How long has it been since you got dolled up and went out?" Amelia asked seriously.

"Umm..." Sookie had to think hard, "probably a random night I went out with Zander. I told you, I'm happier in sweats, reading on my deck."

"Maybe, but you do look stunning, if I do say so myself," Amelia said. She was prejudiced; she had picked out the clothes and done the hair and makeup. "And being stunning is usually uncomfortable." She had put Sookie in a handkerchief dress of every possible shade of blue and stacked silver sandals. She had put her hair in corkscrew tendrils gathered loosely at the nape of her neck. She had also done full glam, smokey eyes and bare everything else. Her eyes popped, looking like they were the indigo of blueberries.

"All this," Sookie said, gesturing to her current appearance, "is false advertising. I'm not like this."

Amelia practically shoved her into the passenger side door. "It's done. Get over it. You are going to have fun tonight if I have to beat you black and blue to do it."

About 20 minutes later, Amelia parked and led Sookie to a dark club. The doorman looked them over, deemed them acceptable, and opened the door.

Sookie saw Amelia's husband Tray from across the room. Tall, stocky, and with black curly hair to his shoulders, he was hard to miss. Next to him was another giant of a man, but younger, and not as stocky, but certainly muscular. She followed Amelia across the room to the two men. Amelia kissed her husband and pulled Sookie forward. Sookie was getting sick of Amelia pushing and pulling her.

"Alcide, this is Sookie. Sookie, Alcide. You guys get to know each other. I'm going to dance with my man," Amelia announced and left.

Sookie blushed and sat next to Alcide. "That Amelia, she chucked weakly, "she's really... something."

Alcide grinned. "She's certainly one-of-a-kind. How long have you known her?"

Sookie considered before answering. "About a year, I think, give or take. My daughter is the same age as the twins. We met through some play groups." She wanted him to know about Alana up front. No point in wasting time if a kid was a deal breaker.

He wasn't shocked or disappointed. "So she's in the Terrible Twos, huh? I know Tray is about to pull his hair out sometimes with Luke and Grace."

She laughed. "Alana gave me a couple of tough months, but she grew out of it fairly quickly." She slapped her hands over her mouth and shot him a playfully stern look. "Never get a mom talking about her kid, or she'll never shut up. Enough about me. What do you do, Alcide?"

"Construction. I'm kind of insulted. I did your remodel last year. Am I that unmemorable?" he asked mischievously, with a devilish smile.

Sookie gasped. "I knew you looked familiar. I couldn't figure out why. You did a great job!"

"I always aim to please," he said with a wicked grin that could be taken several different ways, all of them suggestive.

The simple truth was, since leaving Greece, Sookie had been celibate. It wasn't a lifestyle that she exactly enjoyed, but Alana always came first. She wasn't going to bring a man into their lives for less then the long term. She ignored the way her long ignored libido announced itself at that rakish smile and gave him a perfectly appropriate, friendly smile in return.

He asked her to dance, and she accepted. He was stiff, but got comfortable after a few songs. He got her drinks. She had stuck to iced tea or ginger ale since pregnancy. She'd had little tolerance before she got pregnant; after being dry for almost 3 years, even that small tolerance was gone and she didn't feel the time to experiment was with a handsome man and an empty house. Not to say she wasn't tempted. She was very, very tempted. But she wasn't going to go there. Yet.

The night lingered and Sookie got tired. Alcide had driven Tray and Amelia drove Sookie. It only made sense for Alcide to drive Sookie home, which she just _knew_ had been planned in advance. She didn't mind, but steeled her resolve.

As politeness mandated, she asked him in and offered him a drink from his choice of tea, juice, milk, lemonade, or water. He accepted tea. She offered to show him around, then laughed when she remembered he had seen the whole house and helped make it the way it was. He asked to sit on the deck and she led him out.

While he lit her citronella candles, she plugged in the lights she had wrapped around the under-spokes of the patio umbrella. Alcide leaned toward her, his elbows on his knees. "This is nicer then yelling to be heard over the music. I hope you don't mind me saying, but you are exceptionally beautiful."

Sookie blushed and looked down, hating the fact that she was actually embarrassed and that he might read it as coy. She forced herself to turn her face up again and look in his eyes. "And I hope you don't mind me saying, but you are a very handsome man."

She wasn't just emptily repeating a compliment. He had smokey black hair and pine green eyes. He was very large and very... male. Everything about him appealed to her. She struggled to find a topic to talk about, which was difficult while locked on his eyes. "So... umm... what's your last name, Alcide?" That seemed safe enough.

"Herveaux," he answered.

"Like Jackson Herveaux, at Herveaux and Flood Law?" she asked, surprised.

He was surprised also. "That's my dad. Do you know him?"

"I know of him. He's my friend Eric's boss."

"You mean Eric Northman?" Alcide asked, suddenly curious. "You know him?"

"Well, yeah. I've known him for years. Almost half my life, actually. Have you met him?" she asked.

"Dad's had him over for dinner a few times," he said, his voice dull and flat.

"You don't like him?" she asked. She honestly couldn't think of any reason someone would dislike Eric.

Alcide leaned back in his chair and sighed. "It's not that I don't like him. I don't like my dad when he's around Eric. I know my dad was disappointed when I chose construction over law school. So now, he treats Eric like the son he never had... except he had me." His tone was bitter. But then he shook his head. "Sorry to get so dark on you. Why don't you tell me a little about your family?"

Sookie smiled, relieved. "It's just me and my brother Jason. He's married and has a son about 7 months older then Alana. They're expecting another baby in about 5 months. Our parents died when we were little and our grandmother died shortly after I finished college. For a long time, Jason and I didn't get along, but we're really close now."

"I'd like to get close to you, Sookie," whispered Alcide, brushing his lips over hers and she shivered. He scooted closer and kissed her again, longer, experimenting, to see if she wanted him to continue. She kissed him back, feeling her blood pressure sky rocket. For someone who looked so hard, his mouth was soft.

His arms went around her and pulled her close. He kissed and nibbled on her neck and nuzzled her cheek with his. Their lips met again and he ran his tongue over her lower lip. She sighed with pleasure and opened her mouth for him. She ran her tongue over the edge of his teeth and tangled her hand in his thick black hair, pulling him closer still. His hand slid up her side from her waist and grazed the side of her breast. She moaned and shifted so he could feel her better. Suddenly, she gasped and pulled away.

"I can't do this. _God_, do I want to, but I can't." She closed her eyes, willing her libido to stop it's temper tantrum.

"Why not?" Alcide asked, slightly breathless.

"If it were just me, I'd go with it. _Boy,_ would I go with it. But I'm not bringing anyone into my little girl's life until I'm sure. I just met you tonight. Nothing is sure after a few hours."

Alcide gave her a genuine smile. "Darlin', I'm not going anywhere. A few hours with you has just whet my appetite for more. You'll definitely see me again." He leaned forward and kissed her softly again. "But if I don't leave now, that little wading pool may see more action than you ever intended." He gave her one more soft, lingering kiss, and left.

Sookie leaned back in her chair and sighed. Never had she felt so proud of herself and so disappointed at the same time. She made her way to her bedroom and fell asleep, feeling incredibly alone.

****A/N:** Okey dokey. I wanted Sookie to have some experience in the real world. The world she's decided to live in. She and Eric are no where near _that_ kind of reconciliation. Not yet. So are Alcide's motives pure or is he yet another wolf in sheep's clothing? Review keep me going. Please review your little hearts out. Make my phone buzz like crazy!


	14. Chapter 14

*****A/N:** Well, I decided to take Alcide as we were first introduced to him, minus all the Debbie Pelt and Bill drama. Also, I was in the mood for some lemon meringue. Hope you enjoy. Charlaine Harris owns the characters, I'm just playing with them a little.

**Chapter 14**

Eric went to one of the homes that Pam had opened. He met with two girls, aged 13 and 15, getting ready to move in. They had bruises in various stages of healing on their faces and arms. He explained the protection order process to them and emphasized their responsibilities for joining the home. They were required to show up for court when summoned. They were required to go to school. They were prohibited from having any contact with the person or persons having the orders of protection filed against them outside of court. And they were required to pass weekly drug tests. Failure to comply with any of the rules would mean expulsion from the home back to a state facility. The girls nodded agreement and started filling out the forms that Eric had given them at the beginning of the meeting.

He was proud of the progress that had been made on this project. In the three and a half years since starting, Pam had opened three homes and was working on a fourth. In that time, only five girls had been expelled for going back to their abusive boyfriends or failing the drug tests. But overall, the homes had been successful. He headed back to the office, he thought he might stop by and see Sookie.

The hardest thing for him to get used to after reconnecting with Sookie was the fact that she was a _mom_, to a child she had carried after having a random fling. He wasn't used to little kids, but the first time Alana had called him "Ewic", he had been putty in her tiny hands.

Sookie took Alana down from the high chair and changed her daughter and herself in their bathing suits for playing on the deck. Alana ran to the pool and Sookie alternately flipped through a magazine and watched her daughter. Alana was in the middle of the pool, narrating a vicious fight between a rubber duck and a foam noodle. It was very entertaining, and Sookie laughed out loud several times, causing her to get very annoyed looks from her daughter. She heard footsteps in her side yard and Alcide turned the corner.

"I heard your laugh from out front, so I came around instead of knocking. How are you girls, today?" he asked cheerfully.

"Duck got hut by nooda. Nooda in time out," Alana told him gravely.

"As it should be. Noodles shouldn't hurt ducks," he responded seriously, kneeling down to be at her eye level. She nodded at him and shot Sookie a 2-year old's version of a dirty look.

Sookie explained, "I haven't been giving the noodle-duck bout the gravity it deserves. Thank you."

"I decided to take the afternoon off. I was hoping to spend it with you. Maybe take you both to dinner tonight?" He kept his voice low, so Alana wouldn't hear, which Sookie was grateful for. Alana loved restaurants, but didn't always behave.

"Let me get Lana down for a nap and we can talk." She got Alana out of the pool and dried her off. She dressed her in some light shorts and a t-shirt and started some soft classical music after putting her in her bed. While Sookie closed the blinds, Alana drifted off to sleep.

Sookie rejoined Alcide on the deck. They had been seeing each other for a few months. Alana had been around him enough to know him, but not so much so that she would get attached. Sookie was careful not to be overtly affectionate with him in Alana's sight. They still hadn't slept together, and the tension was frustrating her to no end.

She sat in his lap and kissed him, relishing the uninterrupted moments they had alone. His hand snaked under her bikini top to caress her breast. She kissed him deeper and turned to straddle him. He untied her top and removed it gently. She could feel his arousal through the thin material of her bathing suit and moaned softly. He slid his mouth to her neck. "We can't, can we?" he mumbled

"No," she groaned. "She's an unreliable napper at best. Hand me my top, please" She took it from his hand and slid it over her shoulders and he tied the back for her. She moved to her own chair and tried to calm her breathing. "So, what were you thinking for tonight?"

"You're going to have to give me a minute to get the blood flow back to my brain," he said a little breathlessly. "I was thinking takeout and the park. A little picnic, and Alana could play. What do you think?"

"I think that sounds just about perfect." And it did. She was amazed that she had found a man that not only had held off from pressuring her into sex after over three months of dating, but that he was more then willing to include her daughter on outings together. "I'm also thinking it's a damn shame that I haven't made plans for Alana to spend the night somewhere, because this is getting hard."

"You don't have to tell me," he smirked. "I bet Amelia would be happy to let Alana spend the night with Grace and Luke. Hell, I'd pay her."

She was about to kiss him again, but she heard chimes from inside. "Shit! That's the doorbell. Let me get that before they ring again. Sorry!"

She sprinted across the house and opened the front door crossly. Irritation was replaced with surprise when she saw who was at the door. "Eric! What are you doing here? Are you playing hooky?"

"I just thought I'd stop by and say hi," Eric said, stepping in. "Alana's napping, isn't she?" He heard the back door into the kitchen open and close. "Do you have company?"

Alcide stepped into the living room. "I came by to hang out. Maybe take Sookie and Alana out tonight," he said, a little stiffly.

Eric's eyes widened. "Alcide! I wasn't aware that you knew Sookie."

She picked up on the tension. "Amelia introduced us a few months ago. We've been seeing each other since then," she said calmly.

"Really?" asked Eric incredulously. "And you never mentioned it?"

"Well, Eric, we don't really tell each other everything anymore, do we?" she reminded him gently.

Eric frowned, disliking being reminded of earlier times. "You're right," he conceded. "I take it for granted that I don't know your whole life anymore. I'm sorry"

"No need to apologize, Eric. But I would like to get a little more relaxation in before Alana wakes up, and you probably should get back to work," Sookie said.

Eric shook Alcide's hand and gave Sookie's hand a squeeze before leaving.

Sookie and Alcide went back to the deck and dipped their feet in the pool. Sookie brought the baby monitor out so she could hear when Alana woke up and they engaged in a little more making out. When they started hearing babble between teddy bears and beanie babies come over the monitor, Alcide swore he was calling Amelia to arrange a sleepover.

He wasn't kidding. Half an hour after getting her daughter up, Amelia called Sookie to invite Alana on a weekend-long sleepover. She agreed, and started to feel... scared. She hadn't been with anyone in a very long time. After losing her virginity, the longest she had gone without having sex was a few months. She was past the 3 year mark. She didn't know what her body would feel like after having a baby. She didn't know what Alcide would expect. She didn't know how it would feel after so long. She was worried that it would be a bust for both of them,

Alcide had gone to pick up dinner from a diner before picking them up to go to the park. They took Sookie's car, because it had the car seat, and went to a playground not too far from Sookie's house. Alana ate her hamburger and carrot sticks and ran to play. Sookie and Alcide sat side by side watching her interact with other kids whose families had had the same idea. After an hour, Sookie called time and packed up her daughter, cleaning her face and hands with the wipes she always carried. They drove to Amelia's house where Alana promptly forgot her mom and ran to play with her friends. Sookie told Amelia that Alana should go down soon after the time on the playground and handed over her little bag of clothes and left.

They pulled up to Sookie's house and went in. Sookie was nervous, and excited, and nervous. She knew that that had to have "The Talk" before getting to anything. They went back out to her deck, to the patio table where it started. She really wished she drank right then.

"Alcide, we have to talk," she started and saw his face darken.

"Do we really have to?" he asked.

She realized how it sounded. "No, no, no. Not _that_ kind of talk. No. I just want to get some... things out of the way. I promise."

Alcide looked relieved. "Sure. What's on your mind?"

Sookie took a deep breath. "You know I don't get into this lightly. I already know that you are incredibly patient for waiting for me. I really, really like you, Alcide. I just need to know what you expect. Where you see this going from here."

Alcide smiled. "I like you a lot too. A whole lot. As far as my patience, I guess I've always held faith in the saying that good things come to those who wait. I don't have any expectations. I just want to be with you. I think this could be a great thing we have going here. I want it to go further."

She couldn't think of anything more perfect than what he said. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to her for a kiss. She loved the feel his his big body against her small one. He pulled out her ponytail and nestled his hand in her hair. He deepened the kiss and slid his hands to her ass, pulling her against him.

They made their way to her bedroom. She pulled off her t-shirt and slid out of her jeans, glad that she'd put on pretty underwear when she'd gotten dressed. He took off his shirt and her mouth practically watered. He was cut, muscular, but not overly so. It was the kind of definition he got from his work, not from spending hours in a gym. She ran her fingers lightly over the contours and he shivered. His green eyes burned into hers. He slid her bra straps off her shoulders and unclasped the back. His large hands ran over her breasts and he bent his head to kiss them. Sookie sighed and began to fumble with his belt. He felt her frustration with the stiff leather and clasped her hands. "We have all night. There's no rush. I plan on taking my time tonight." he whispered softly.

She needed to kiss him again. She stood on her tiptoes and pulled him down to her. She ran her tongue over his lip and his mouth claimed hers. The light sprinkling of hair on his chest tickled her breasts. Her wrapped his arms around her tightly and laid her on the bed. He unfastened his own belt and removed his pants. He was a boxer brief guy and they were under some stress. He hovered over her and began kissing his way down her body. No part was ignored, but special attention was lavished on her breasts. He licked and nibbled until Sookie was writhing and moaning. When he had reached the tips of her toes, he lightly reached up and slid her panties down her legs. He knew that he has to go slow with her and was glad that he had all night.

He gently slid one finger into her, and she arched her back, moaning louder. He leaned over and kissed her, imitating the motions of his finger with his tongue. Carefully, he slid in a second finger and she bucked against his hand. He ran his thumb over her nub and she cried out his name as her walls clinched down on his fingers.

He kissed his way back down her body and let his mouth take the place of his fingers. When he tasted her, she saw stars and made incoherent cries. She hadn't felt sensations like this in so long and she was in ecstasy . She came again under his talented tongue.

He removed his boxers and slid on the condom he had kept out on her nightstand for this moment. He captured her hands in one of his and held them above her head. She kissed her again as he entered her completely and he groaned with how good she felt. He pushed into her as far as he could. He knew she was close again and gave himself over and thrust into her until her pants and whimpers turned into cries and she raised her hips to meet his. Her nails ran down his back and she had an earth-shattering orgasm and he bellowed her name as his followed.

He collapsed on the bed next to her and held her close as she regained herself and caught her breath. He kissed her neck and shoulders softly while her eyes unglazed and she turned to kiss him. "That was amazing," she said weakly. "It had been awhile. Could you tell?"

"Sookie, you were perfect. And the best part," he whispered in her ear, "is that the night isn't over yet."

****A/N:** Yes, it was Eric-free lemon meringue, but he gets his turn soon. Please please please review. I love seeing my phone blinking when I wake up


	15. Chapter 15

****A/N: **First, to all the reviews about Sookie being unkind and rude to Eric, he _**did**_ come by uninvited and without warning. She had a right to be dismayed at the interruption. I know _I_ get pissed when anyone, unexpected or not, rings the doorbell while the baby's napping. Nap time is break time and sacred. Second, my apologies for this chapter. I am realizing I dug a hole that I wasn't sure how to get out of. I don't like rewriting; it gets me all messed up. So unfortunately, I have to screw over poor Eric again to get out of the hole. Forgive me with the knowledge that I thoroughly plan to make it up to him in the future. Charlaine Harris owns the characters, I'm just putting them through some messed up paces in my head and sharing it with the world.

**Chapter 15**

Eric drove away from Sookie's house deep in thought. She wasn't exaggerating when she reminded him that they weren't as close as they once had been. There were things going on in his life that he had purposely keep out of his conversations with Sookie. Like the fact that he had been seeing someone for several months.

Portia Bellefleur was a lawyer in the District Attorney's Office. She was tall and curvy, with dark chestnut brown hair and bright coffee colored eyes. She had a drive to prove herself, but also knew how to have fun. Eric had met her at the gym, rather then at court. He had been jogging on the indoor track. She had been playing basketball on the court below and had caught his eye. He had made it a point to introduce himself after her game. They had gone out to get drinks and found they had a lot in common.

He liked the fact that she understood all the legalese he spoke when he got into talking about his work. She liked that he could appreciate, if not completely understand, the frustration of being a woman in a male-dominated profession. He didn't talk down to her. She didn't cling to him.

He got to his office and checked his messages. He had some voice mails from the off-duty police officers that kept their eyes on the homes for anyone who didn't obey the protective orders. They moonlighted as security and picked up any law-breakers. They were very effective deterrents.

He also had a message from Jackson Herveaux, inviting him and Portia to dinner at his home. He figured that could be awkward, if Alcide were going to be there, but remembered him saying that he was taking Sookie and Alana out that night, so no worries there. He called his boss and accepted the invitation after reaching Portia to see if she had any interest in going.

He finished his paperwork on the new residents and headed back to his apartment. He could now afford a larger apartment with more amenities, but didn't feel the need to spend money on things he didn't need. He had all he needed. He pulled out some khakis and a casual white button-down shirt. Jackson didn't like suits outside of the office and liked his guests to be comfortable. After dressing, he drove to pick up Portia, looking beautiful in a similar, but more feminine version of his own outfit.

The Herveaux home was a mansion. Jackson had come from a wealthy family before becoming a successful attorney and the house had been in his family for several generations. Eric parked his trusty Toyota in the lot off to the side and escorted Portia to the door, where they was greeted by Jackson's wife Carolyn.

They took drinks in the study while the meal was prepared. Everyone discussed their day and the cases they were preparing and overseeing. Carolyn, though currently a housewife, had started out as a paralegal and understood the conversations, even if her day didn't fit into the conversational flow.

The cook was well trained in Cajun and Creole food. They had several courses. After oysters Rockefeller, gumbo, blackened salmon with dirty rice completed by bananas Foster, Eric didn't think he could move. They finished with coffees and let their food digest in comfortable silence.

Eric didn't drive Portia home afterward. She had become a regular fixture in his apartment most nights. She wouldn't give up her little house and move in with him, but she had a collection of her clothes and other things mingled with his.

They got back to his apartment and changed into comfortable lounging clothes. She joined him on his couch, laying out with her head in his lap. He ran his fingers through her thick, dark hair. He looked down and saw her giving him her "special" smile and she pounced on him.

Their lovemaking ran the gamut from slow and sensual to wild and animalistic. When she jumped him, it was usually the latter. She had no issues with being the dominant partner in bed, but was willing to take turns. Eric definitely liked that she wasn't a shrinking violet about what she wanted.

Afterward, he got them both beers from his refrigerator. He asked if she was going to spend the night, and she agreed. They curled up against each other when they went to bed and sank into satisfied sleep.

Several more months passed. He still kept up communication with Sookie; she _was_ his oldest friend, even if they were no where near as close as they once had been. He got to hear about her new little niece, Melanie, and they laughed about the thought of _Jason_ having a daughter and how long it would take for a gun rack to be mounted by the door. They both kept their romantic relationships and developments to themselves. They weren't close enough anymore to comfortably discuss those without awkwardness.

But he couldn't ignore the rumblings from Jackson's office about the possibility of Alcide proposing. He had apparently asked his mother for his great-grandmother's ring. Eric did the math, and figured they had been together for almost a year. While he personally had nothing against Alcide, he had always seemed sullen and disagreeable whenever they were around each other. However, Sookie must see something in him; she wouldn't have stayed with him this long otherwise. He knew that she wouldn't even consider it unless Alana were comfortable with him also.

He wanted to feel happy for her. He _really_ did. But it just seemed... wrong... for her to be with someone else. He hadn't felt those kinds of feelings for Sookie in years and they felt alien to him. He was happy with Portia. He had to keep remembering that Sookie was no longer the helpless girl with no knowledge of the world. She knew plenty. She knew what she wanted, and who she wanted it with. She had decided long ago that she didn't want it with him. He didn't like the conflicted feelings this new development brought to the surface.

He drove home and paced his living room floor. Would she say yes? Would he be invited to the wedding? Did Jason approve? Would Alcide give Alana brothers or sisters?

He drove to Portia's house, wanting to lose the conflict in his head with her. She could distract him better then anyone. He entered her home with the key she had given him. He thought he couldn't feel worse. He had figured wrong.

Portia's clothes were in a trail on the floor leading to her little bedroom, coupled with unfamiliar clothes of a man. Her heard her familiar moans and the unfamiliar grunts coming from her bedroom. He marched up and opened her door. "Portia, would you like to introduce me to your friend?" he said to the oblivious couple writhing on the bed?

"Fuck! Eric! What are you doing here?" she squealed, pulling the comforter up to pointlessly shield her nudity. The dark haired man on the bed just looked back and forth between them curiously. "Goddamn it. Don't you know how to use a fucking phone?"

"So you're screwing this man because I didn't call before coming to visit my girlfriend? Well, damn, Portia, I'm so fucking sorry. How many times did I interrupt you with my calls? How many different men did I take your pleasures away from?" He looked down at her with nothing but contempt. "How long? How long have you been screwing other men behind my back?"

She stammered, trying to explain that Bill was an old boyfriend that had just come back into town, how it had just happened, how she had never cheated on him before. Her pleas fell on deaf ears. He had no desire to hear her excuses. He told her that she could go by and pick up her things from his apartment, but anything left there by the time he got home was headed for the dumpster. He told her to leave his key under his doormat and he left her key on her kitchen table.

He was old enough and experienced enough now to know that drinking to excess would only lead to more misery. He had learned that lesson long ago. He went to the gym and took his frustrations out first on the track, and then on the weight bag in the boxing gym when he couldn't run it out. It couldn't drive out the self-pity and bitterness that was starting to build. It seemed as every woman he fell for was determined to screw him over in one way or another. He punched the bag harder and harder as the feelings built. When that still didn't calm him, he called Pam. He needed someone he could talk to honestly about everything.

She met him at the gym and they walked the track, talking. She was able to walk him through everything he was feeling. She could understand the hurt, the betrayal, and the loss of trust with Portia. She, herself, had never really trusted the woman, but had given her the benefit of the doubt.

What Pam couldn't understand was the anxiety and the frustrated feelings about Sookie's possible upcoming engagement. She had felt sure that he had gotten over her years ago, but now she wasn't sure. To make matters worse, he wasn't either. He couldn't explain the feelings or where they had come from, but it wasn't something he was happy about. He'd had too many years of dealing with those feelings to go through it again. He just didn't know how to stop.

****A/N:** Again, I apologize. I tried and tried to write a lemony scene for Eric, but I just felt _wrong_ with anyone other than Sookie. He still got laid, just not as descriptively. Just know that I am working my way back to where I (and apparently you) want this story to go. Like I've said before, I have a journey in mind, just some of the more scenic routes aren't working as well as I'd hoped.

Also, I just want to give a great big thanks to Sirius/XM station Lithium. I got to spend all night bathed in the sound of 90's alt rock. Absolutely heaven!


	16. Chapter 16

****A/N:** First and foremost, this is **not** and "I Hate Eric" story. I love Eric. A lot. A lotta lot. That will become apparent later. I so _am not_ a Bill fan. Ick. There was a reason I apologized at both the beginning and the end of the last chapter. This chapter helps me get back on the path I wanted to go on initially. Hope you like it.

**Chapter 16**

"Pam, it's been a few years, hasn't it?" Sookie asked her guest. Pam had called her a few hours earlier and aksed for some time to talk when they wouldn't be interrupted. Sookie told her Alana's nap time, surprised to hear from her after so long.

"Yes, it has been awhile. How have you been?" asked Pam.

"Drop the act," Sookie said. "I'm not a bullshit, small talk kind of person, and if memory serves, neither are you. So tell me what you want." She wasn't being short or antagonistic, just her usual, direct self.

"Fine," Pam responded, sitting up straighter, becoming more businesslike. "Are you going to marry Alcide?"

"I don't know what business that is of yours. I just know that when you get involved in my personal life, everything turns to shit. Why do you want to know?"

"I have my reasons," Pam replied vaguely, with a hint of a smirk on her beautiful face.

"Well, sweetheart, unless you're going to give me at least some of those reasons, you're wasting your breath. Last time we talked about 'feelings', I ended up traveling the world for over a year. Now, I don't regret a second of it, because I probably never would have done it otherwise. But I do regret how I left things. Your little mind-fuck helped tip me over the edge."

"Why _did_ you leave? I don' think I've ever gotten an explanation for that." Pam asked.

Sookie shrugged. "I guess to prove that I could. That I could handle life without a protector. That I didn't need my hand held. That I could live perfectly happily by myself. So I did and I can.'

"Bullshit," Pam said. "In less then 3 months, you hooked up with the first available man and got pregnant. You hightailed it to an almost deserted island afterward. You didn't want to prove anything. You wanted to fucking _hide_. You hid in your friendship with Eric for over a decade. When you got pushed to make a decision, you ran to hide in travel. Now you are hiding in your daughter and some pseudo-relationship with Alcide. You still don't know how to live by yourself.

"Now, I know that you love Alana. Eric has told me about you as a mom and if he doesn't doubt it, then neither do I. But can you honestly say that you love Alcide? That he gives you everything that you need? I know that he is a perfectly nice and very handsome man. I've met him. Bland, but personable. Someone as vibrant as you _cannot_ be happy with someone like him," Pam stated.

"Pam, you know less then nothing about my life," Sookie retorted, stung by how close to the quick Pam's observations had been. "First, my daughter is more important that _anything_ else in my life. She is always going to come first. There is nothing on earth that I wouldn't do if was best for her. _That's_ why I came home in the first place. I wanted her to have family, to have roots."

Pam smirked, "So you admit if it was just you, you would have stayed in hiding on that island indefinitely?"

"Don't twist my fucking words, Pam. You know that's not what I'm saying, I don't know what I would have done. My life was rearranged the instant I knew I was pregnant. My choices stopped being my own at that moment," Sookie said irritatedly.

"Fine. I can accept that. But what about this sham of a relationship? Like I said, Alcide is perfectly nice. But you can't possibly be satisfied by someone _nice_." Her mouth twisted saying the word. "You need passion in your life. And excitement. And someone who can, and will, call you on your bullshit. Has he ever _once_ disagreed with you?" she asked

Sookie scowled. "Again, I still don't see what business this is of yours. We haven't talked in over three years and even then was just a random meeting in a store." She shook her head and chuckled self-deprecatingly. "How you manage to get me talking at all is like some sort of voodoo."

"How I do it doesn't matter. I think that fact that you can talk to someone honestly may play a part of it. You can't talk to Eric because there's too much history and drama. You can't talk to your friend, um, Amelia, isn't it? She only knows you since you came back from your travels. She didn't know you before. Plus, she introduced you to Alcide and is probably smug as hell that you two are together. Now I... well, I am agenda-free. Yes, I'm friends with Eric, but before you left, we were on the way to becoming friends also. I have nothing to gain and you have nothing to lose by you talking things over with me. And you know that," Pam stated simply.

Sookie rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms over her head to release the tension in her back. "Fine. No, Alcide has never disagreed with me on anything and we haven't had fights. But don't you think it could possibly be that we feel the same on everything? That we have the same opinions?"

"Dear, Alcide doesn't come with opinions. He tells you what you want to hear. He doesn't like rocking the boat. Why do you think he went into construction over law? He went to law school, did you know that? He couldn't argue. Absolutely incapable of it. Are you _truly_ happy in a partnership where every single thing you do is perfect? Where there's no challenge?" asked Pam.

"Maybe I don't want a challenge. Maybe I want something simple. Is that so wrong?" Sookie retorted.

"For you, yes it is 'so wrong'. I know women. I also learned the hard way that you are a very unusual woman. You need a challenge," Pam said with certainty.

Sookie smirked this time. "Pam, Pam, Pam. You're contradicting yourself. Apparently, when I'm challenged, I run. I _like_ comfort. I _like_ simple. I _like_ nice. I have no desire to look elsewhere. I am completely satisfied in my relationship with Alcide," she said, daring Pam to challenge her again. They both turned as babble started softly over the baby monitor. "Pam, unless you want to see Alana, I would say the conversation ends here."

"Personally, I don't really care for children, no offense intended, I'll go ahead and go." She gave Sookie an impersonal hug and left.

Sookie got Alana out of bed and took her to the park to play before dinner. Sitting by herself, she had nothing to do but think while keeping an eye on her daughter. It was true that she and Alcide had never had any of the usual blow-outs that normal couples did. Anything they discussed, she was always right. Anything they wanted to do, she decided. They hadn't had a single debate over _anything_ the entire time they had been seeing each other. She had never really given it any thought before.

She had also told the truth when she said that she liked comfortable. But she also like challenges occasionally. If someone disagreed with her, she liked fighting to get her point across. She liked positioning her opponent and arguing until the point was conceded.

She had also challenged herself when she left, even though she was hiding, to a point. The farthest she had ever traveled before was New Orleans. She had wanted adventure, to experience lands and cultures that she would never be exposed to otherwise.

Would she _really_ be happy in a relationship where she was permanently dominant? As much as she didn't _need_ to be taken care of anymore, it was nice to take a break from holding the reins all the time. She could only think of one person in her life who had ever challenged her and comforted her at the same time, but there was no point in going down _that_ road.

She would force Alcide's hand, _make_ him make a fucking decision where their relationship was involved. She wondered if she had subconsciously been coming to this point. He had never been allowed to spend the night. Alana was aware that he was a close friend of Mommy's, but nothing more than that. Had Pam said something about _marriage_? She didn't know if she'd ever be ready for _that_. That had never been something she'd seen in her future.

Alcide came over for dinner that night, as usual. Trying not to think of it as a test, Sookie asked Alcide about his opinions on all sorts of topics, like religion, politics, laws, current pop culture and he didn't have a single strong opinion about anything except sports, and that was only the superiority of LSU in college football that season and how the Saints could get another run at the Super Bowl.

She realized that she was _bored_, as state of being absolutely intolerable to her. Damn Pam. She had been thinking she was perfectly happy until Pam came over. Everything in her personal life _did_ turn to shit when Pam became involved.

After dinner and putting Alana to bed, she led Alcide out to the front porch. She knew it was time for an uncomfortable conversation. "How do you feel about me, Alcide?" she asked.

"Darlin', I love you. You have to know that," he answered, confusion apparent in his voice.

She thought for a moment. "How would you feel if I said I wanted to go to Greece and let Alana meet her father, assuming I could find him?"

His face darkened. "Well, I'd say that that was an issue for you to decide alone, since she is _your_ daughter. I don't have any say where she is concerned."

Point taken. Bad opener. She changed directions. "What would you say if I decided to move back to The Bahamas, to purchase a house on Andros Island and live there permanently?"

His eyebrows furrowed ad he thought. "If you thought that was what you needed to do, I'd pack up and move with you."

She cocked her head. "You'd leave your family, your job, everything to live on an island in the middle of nowhere where the only things you can do are fish, work on your tan, or scuba dive? Without a second thought?"

"If it was to be with you, in a heartbeat."

"What if I wanted to take up sky diving or bungee jumping?"

"If it was something you were interested in, I'd say 'go for it'."

"What if I wanted to enter the police academy and become a police officer?"

"If it's what you want to do, I'd support you completely."

"What if I wanted to go back to school for a master's degree, somewhere like Oxford or Vienna?"

"That would be your decision, and I'd support you."

Sookie became frustrated. "What do I have to do to get some sort of response from you?" She started pacing the porch. "Don't you have anything to say on any of those situations besides 'I'd support you'? Is there anything that I could do or say to get you to _do_ something?"

"Sookie, what do you want from me?" Confusion darkened his face. "If there's something you want to do, you need to do it. What does my opinion have to do with anything?"

"If you want to share my life, I need to know that if I plan on doing something stupid, which I have been known to do _multiple_ times, you'll try to stop me, not support me in my stupidity! Damn it! Have a position on _something_!"

"I'm sorry, Sookie. I just want you to be happy."

"Alcide," she began, knowing this was the worst part, "I don't think this is going to work. I have had a great time with you and this past year has been wonderful, but I want more then you can give me. I know this seems sudden, but I did some thinking today. We just don't have the right chemistry to keep going the way we are. I'm sorry." She wiped a tear from her cheek, knowing this was best for everyone.

"I understand. I'll be here for you if you ever need me." He kissed her forehead and left.

That convinced her more then anything that she had made the right decision. He wasn't even willing to fight for her, to assert his position. Surprisingly, she didn't feel the pain or loneliness that she expected. She felt relief. And the start of a new chapter in her life.

****A/N:** Pam's quite the little gardener, isn't she? She plants the seeds and lets them bloom. She's so talented that way. I could see Alcide acting that way. In the books, he was able to overlook Debbie basically trying to kill Sookie until it was shoved in his face by Bill (but still not a Bill fan). Please please please review. I hope I've redeemed myself a little.


	17. Chapter 17

****A/N:** Wow, the Pam love was astounding! I do love her. She's such a smart lady. Not really sure what else to say. You guys are great. Thank you for the reviews and adding my story to your favorites and updates. Charlaine Harris owns the characters, I'm just playing dress-up with them.

**Chapter 17**

"Well, I saw Sookie earlier today," Pam said calmly as she and Eric walked the track at the gym

"Funny. I don't remember asking you to involve her again," Eric responded with a raised eyebrow.

"Relax. Your name barely came up. I went to talk to her about Alcide. You were just mentioned in passing." Pam looked incredibly smug and he hated not knowing why.

He was still not completely over Portia's betrayal. He had seen her a few times at the court house since walking in on her and her ex. Each and every time, she had spun around and walked away in the direction she had came.

But her duplicity hadn't hurt the way he expected. It didn't ache or throb or make him sick. He was just supremely pissed off. Pam said that she thought she knew why when he wondered why he wasn't tempted to jump in a bottle again.

"Well, dear, there's two reasons. One, you've grown the fuck up and learned from experience. Two, think of your heart like a cake. A big, giant chunk of that cake was gouged out. You filled the hole with frosting, so it still _looked_ whole. But then, when someone goes and fucks up the frosting, it's easier to smooth it over again. The hole is still there, but all that was damaged was the filler, the camouflage. Do you understand that?" she had asked.

Surprisingly, it had made sense and Eric told her so. "And what happened to that missing part of the cake?" he asked

She grinned. "I bet the person you gave it to doesn't even realize she still has it."

O.o.O.o.O.o

"Mia, for the last time. It wasn't anything he did. It was everything he _didn't_ do! And when I told him that, he didn't even defend himself or try to change my mind," Sookie explained to Amelia over coffee the next day. Alana and the twins were at PeeWee Playtime and they had 45 whole minutes to themselves. Amelia had shown up demanding an explanation for the break-up. Apparently, Alcide had told Tray and Tray had called Amelia. "Seriously though, I thought about it and he wasn't... _right_ for me. God knows we tried for a long time. But part of me was always holding back. I just knew it wasn't going to work out."

Amelia rolled her eyes. "You know you're never going to be happy with anyone? No one is ever going to measure up. There's always going to be something less then perfect that will convince you to get out."

Sookie's spine stiffened indignantly. "And what the hell does that mean? I'm not looking for perfection! I'm looking for... well... I'll know what I'm looking for when I find it."

"Sookie, I've known you for at least 2 years, if not closer to three. In that time, I've met exactly two people who knew you before you left and one of them was your brother. You're the only person I've met at 27 years old who doesn't have a handful of exes floating around in the background of their life. How can you possibly know what you want in a man if you haven't tried them out?" Amelia asked.

It was Sookie's turn to roll her eyes. "I think I can know what I want in a man without whoring myself out to get experience. Alcide was perfectly nice, and the sex was good. But that's it. I don't want _nice_. I want a fucking knight in shining armor. I don't want _good _sex, Mia, I want mind blowing, spectacular, seeing stars kind of sex. If I settle for less then that, I'm not doing anyone any favors, least of all, myself."

Amelia shrugged. "As cliché as it sounds, sometimes you have to kiss a lot of toads to find your prince. I was lucky and found mine after a relatively small number of toads... and a few toadettes." She winked and grinned. "You never know where you'll find happiness." She checked her watch and saw that playtime was almost over. She threw Sookie a sideways glance as she packed up her purse and headed for the door of the coffee shop. She thought Sookie may have already kissed her toad, but was too blind and stubborn to see the prince that he was.

Sookie got Alana home and fixed her lunch. She was putting the ingredients together for a casserole that both of them loved. Since becoming a mom to a toddler and could no longer depend on bottles and jars of baby food, she had decided to try her hand at cooking again. As long as the food was simple and healthy, she figured she, and Alana, were safe.

Her phone rang as she was about to put the dish in the oven. The sound of her brother's voice scared her half to death. He was breathless and choking with sobs. "Sook, I need you to come to the hospital in Clarice and get Austin. Lani started having seizures." He didn't need to say anymore. The casserole forgotten, Sookie grabbed Alana out of her booster seat and as soon as she was strapped in the car seat, Sookie was speeding like a demon down the interstate.

She pulled into the parking lot for the ER and tried to calm herself. Alana had been scared by the abrupt change her in mom's demeanor, but Sookie had explained to her that her little cousin was sick and Austin was coming to stay with them for a little while. Inside, Sookie was terrified. Melanie was only 5 months old and she couldn't imagine the fear that Jason and Michele were experiencing.

Jason was waiting in the waiting room with Austin, both looking petrified. Alana ran to hug her uncle and cousin. Sookie hugged Jason too and pulled him off to the side, so the kids couldn't hear. "What happened, Jase?"

"Lani had been cranky for a few days. We thought she had a little cold. Then this morning, her fever spiked. She had a temperature of 106, but the doctor said to give her Tylenol and cool baths and it would go away. Said roseola was going around. It didn't seem right, but the doctor should know, right? So we started giving her a cool wipe down with a washcloth and she became stiff as a board and her eyes rolled back in her head. She was probably only like that for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. When she started crying, I was so relieved. We started wiping her again, gave her some Tylenol, and it started again. Michele lost it and we came here. I don't want Austin having to hang out here while we wait on tests. I'll keep you updated. But please get him out of here. I don't like him seeing us like this."

She knelt down in front of Austin. "Hey bud, do you want to come and play with me and Alana today? I know that she has some new toys that she wants to share with you." Jason transferred Austin's booster seat to the back of Sookie's car and reminded Austin to be good for his Aunt Sook. After a ferocious hug and a kiss to his head, Jason ran back into the emergency room.

Austin fell asleep on the way to Shreveport. Sookie's heart was racing. She had been lucky. With the exception of an ear infection and a couple of colds, Alana had been a very healthy baby and toddler.

When they got to Sookie's house, she picked the sleeping Austin up and carried him in. She laid him on the couch and put the casserole into the oven, giving Alana a small bowl of Goldfish crackers to hold her over while the dish cooked.

After lunch, Sookie devoted herself to distraction. She played games, watched movies, and read stories. Austin was a smart little boy and Alana was bright too. They knew something was going on, but didn't have to words yet to ask what. Jason called a few hours after she left and said that they were running tests for meningitis and that they were keeping Melanie overnight. Sookie almost cried thinking of her baby niece having to undergo a spinal tap, but struggled to keep her cool in front of the kids. She told Austin that he got to pick whether he wanted to sleep in the guest room with the bunk beds or if he wanted to use Alana's trundle bed because he got to spend the night. As Alana's room was connected to Sookie's, he chose there. She gave the kids a bath and dressed them in pajamas. She read them bedtime stories and turned on the monitor. She told them that if they needed her, she was just a few steps away. She closed the door after turning on the lullabies and went downstairs.

Sookie didn't know what to do with herself. She tried calling Amelia, but she got their babysitter and was told that Amelia and Tray were out until late. She felt as if she were going to pull her hair out if she were alone. As much as she didn't want to burden him, she called Eric.

O.o.O.o.O.o

Eric was surprised to see Sookie's name come up on his call ID. He answered warily. It was late for her to be calling and he wasn't really in the mood for a chat. His mood abruptly changed when he heard her voice. It was choked and didn't have her usual breeziness. "Eric, I hate to disturb you. I really need someone to come over and if it's too late, just tell me. I need some company." He agreed, saying that he was a night owl anyway and drove over to her house.

She answered the door and he was startled. She had tear stains on her cheeks and her eyes were puffy. His very first instinct was to hug her and he did. She sank into the comfort of his big body and returned the embrace, but started crying again. The tensions of the day along with hiding her emotions so she wouldn't scare the kids was being released.

He led her over to the couch and asked her for the story. She told him about Lani's seizures and how Jason and Michele had wanted her to take Austin until they were through at the hospital. She told him how she had been putting a brave face on for the kids. How she was so scared about her niece and her brother and sister-in-law. She needed to talk to someone about it so she could just release the stress of what she was dealing with.

"Sookie, if you don't mind me asking, why did you call me? Why not Amelia or Alcide?" he asked. He was honestly curious.

She sighed, shuddering a little as she caught her breath. "Amelia is out with her husband tonight. Alcide and I broke up."

"What?" he asked, astonished. "When did that happen?"

"A few nights ago. I came to some unpleasant realizations and figured out that it wasn't going to work in the long term."

He couldn't hide a small grin. "Anyone help you come to those realizations?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"Pam," they said in unison, and Sookie was able to give a thin chuckle.

"Eric, I want to ask you. What would you say if I said that I wanted to take up sky diving or bungee jumping?"

Eric cocked his head, giving her a strange look. "I'd ask if you had forgotten your insane fear of heights." That earned him a true cheek-dimpling smile.

"I was just curious. Thanks." She leaned her head against his chest and just listened to his heartbeat. The metronome quality soothed her and put her to sleep. Eric carried her up the stairs to her bedroom and laid her on her bed. He gave her a light kiss on her forehead and put the baby monitor next to her bed.

He found her spare key where she had always kept it and locked the door behind him, then replaced the key. He drove back to his apartment, feeling strangely content.

****A/N:** Okay, so first off, I know what Jason and Michele are going through by way of a friend. That kind of terror is almost indescribable. Also, Sookie didn't _immediately_ go to Eric. She has other options for support now. Yes, she called him when she needed a shoulder to cry on, repeating old habits. But, I disagree with the reviews that think Sookie hasn't grown up. She has. In many ways. They needed a way to reconnect and now they have. He's the one person she lets see her as vulnerable.


	18. Chapter 18

****A/N:** Yay! People see that Sookie has matured. She and Eric have reconnected. Now it's just a matter of circumstances working out. Also, since "How To Train Your Dragon" is now on HBO, I was forced to watch it 4 or 5 times since Friday by my 7-year old, who can now recite it almost word for word. BTW, Alana and Austin are a bizarre combination of characteristics of my 2 boys (7 and 2). Just wanted to add that. Charlaine Harris owns the characters. They're just vacationing in my world for a little while.

**Chapter 18**

After getting the call from Michele that it was roseola and the doctors assured them that the seizures Melanie had were strictly due to the fever, Sookie almost cried with relief. They were going to keep her another night for observation, but believed she was going to be okay. Sookie called Eric to share the good news and invited him to dinner.

When he saw that Sookie was actually using the stove-top and oven, he feigned fear. When he tentatively tasted her creation, he was pleasantly surprised. After dinner, since the kids still had energy to burn, they walked to the park to let them play it out.

Sookie told Eric more about her break-up with Alcide. He agreed that if Alcide wasn't willing to fight for her, he wasn't worth the effort. He told her about walking in on Portia and Bill. Sookie was beyond shocked that someone could cheat on a man as good and as loyal and as giving as Eric. They both wondered why the other had spent so much time on a person so clearly not good enough for them.

Sookie spent the next day packing up Austin and making sure the kids were occupied. When she got a call from Jason that afternoon letting her know that everyone was back home, she pulled out a big bowl of pasta salad that she had made for them, loaded the kids in the car, and headed to Bon Temps.

As soon as the car was in park, Austin leaped from the car and ran to his daddy. Jason swept him up in a big hug. Michele handed Melanie off to Sookie and joined her husband and son. They all wore expressions of relief as Austin was welcomed home. Sookie made faces and cooed at the baby while Alana ran off to play on Austin's swing set, oblivious to the high emotional climate of the front yard.

Sookie passed Lani back to Jason and ran to put the pasta salad into the fridge. She collected Alana to head back to Shreveport; she didn't want to interrupt "family time" for her brother. Both Michele and Jason gave her quiet thank yous before she left. She stopped by McDonald's on the way home to get dinner for herself and Alana. She saw no problem with fast food once or twice a month.

With Austin back home, the house seemed strangely empty and too quiet. She knew who she wanted to spend time with, but she also didn't want to push herself into his life if he didn't want her there.

**X.x.X.x.X.x**

Eric also drove to Bon Temps, but to visit with his mom, as he did at least once a month since moving to Shreveport. He helped her do odd jobs around the house while telling her about the goings on in his life.

She had like Portia the times that she had met her, and was livid that someone would disrespect her baby like that. He told Sophie about the cake analogy that Pam had made. She smiled and agreed. She _really_ liked Pam and thought it was a shame that she was gay; she would have been perfect for her son.

She was _not_ happy that Eric was starting to spend more time with Sookie. She had done a private happy dance when Eric had told her off and refused to forgive her over three years ago. But somehow, that little brat was worming her way back into his life. She wasn't going to be a hypocrite and criticize Sookie for having a child; she was just grateful it wasn't Eric's. But Sookie knew all his weaknesses and was able to manipulate him to her bidding. As far as Sophie was concerned, Sookie would always be a spoiled, destructive little girl, bound and determined to ruin her son's life.

Eric was unaware of his mother's animosity towards Sookie. He told her about comforting Sookie while Jason and Michele were at the hospital. While Sophie had nothing but sympathy for the couple, she just knew that Sookie had used the circumstances to ensnare her baby all over again.

Eric told Sophie that he was thinking of taking Sookie and Alana out late that week, maybe to dinner or an early movie, just to spend a little more time together. It took all of Sophie's strength not to shake her son until he saw sense. She grunted noncommittally, let Eric take it as acceptance, and unhappily watched as he left to go back to Shreveport.

**X.x.X.x.X.x**

The phone rang while Sookie was serving dinner. Alana knew that she didn't get the toy from her Happy Meal until she finished her food, so she was seriously concentrating on finishing her McNuggets and fries as quickly as possible without choking. Sookie watched her with a grin as she answered the phone.

"Hey Sook! How was your day?" Eric asked. She could tell by the background noises that he was calling from his car.

"I took Austin home today. It's kind of quiet and lonely without a rambunctious male around," she replied grinning

"Well, I can at least cover the 'male' part. Do you want me to come over?" he asked and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Absolutely! Pick yourself up some dinner and we'll watch a movie," she said, trying to keep the full level of her excitement from her voice. She started cleaning up toys from the living room floor and tidying up the kitchen while taking bites of her chicken sandwich. By the time the door bell rang, the lower level was presentable and Alana was sitting at the table playing with her miniature Barbie that had some with her meal.

She and Eric talked while he polished off two Big Macs and went to look over her DVD selections. Since Alana wasn't ready for bed yet, they chose a family friendly movie. Alana's current favorite movie was "How To Train Your Dragon" and they watched it at least once a week. At first, Sookie thought it might be too scary for an almost four year old, but Alana _loved_ the dragons.

Eric had never seen the movie and laughed at Toothless, the lead dragon. He liked the message of the movie, about being true to yourself and your beliefs and eventually, others will accept you the way that you are. He also knew that he had some Viking blood somewhere in his ancestry, so he got a kick out that too.

After the movie, Sookie excused herself to put Alana to bed, and returned to the living room. She wasn't ready for the night to be over yet. They looked over her movies again to find another selection. Eric rolled his eyes at the Twilight movies, muttering "vampires don't _sparkle_" and Sookie giggled. They finally decided on "The Fifth Element", a movie they had both seen multiple times before and loved. The both recognized that the movie was terrible and the plot was ridiculous, but loved it anyway.

They laid on the couch as if the clock had turned back. Sookie stretched out lengthwise on the couch with her feet on Eric's lap. He absentmindedly rubbed her feet during the movie.

After the movie ended, Eric looked at the clock on the wall. He had to work the next morning and he knew that Alana woke up early. As much as he wanted to stay, to continue the togetherness they were getting used to again, he knew he had to go. He told her as much.

She nodded mutely. She knew they were getting to be friends again and she didn't want to say or do anything that would compromise it. She finally felt that she could be on equal footing with him and she didn't want to jeopardize it. She hugged him goodbye and he gave her a light kiss on the cheek.

He drove home wondering why he was allowing himself to repeat old patterns that had burned him in the past. He went over and over it in his mind, and he realized that the Sookie he was getting close to now was no longer the girl that had him by the nose for so many years before. He also recognized that he was no longer the man that would allow his life to pass by without asking for what he wanted. He felt that this time, they might actually be able to be true, equal friends.

They continued on that way. Sookie would call him or he would call her. They always involved Alana in their activities, whether it was a walk to the park or a movie or just strolling around the mall. They were getting used to being friends again as the new people that they were.

**X.x.X.x.X.x**

Sookie met up with Amelia for their weekly coffee while the kids were in their playgroup. Amelia looked her over silently. "What's new? Something's different," she said.

Sookie smiled shyly. She had mentioned to Amelia that she and Eric were reconnecting, but hadn't told her much besides that. She ordered her mocha and led Amelia over to a corner table.

"Well, you know how Eric and I have been spending a lot of time together, right?" she asked.

"Duh. I think if we didn't have these little coffee sessions, I'd never see you anymore."

"Mia, you know better. You're my best girl friend," Sookie said.

Amelia fake pouted. "I better be. So spill before I have to hurt you."

Sookie started babbling. "Eric helped me through the scare with Melanie. We started hanging out more and more. He's so good with Alana. He can play with her and he's just wrapped around her little fingers. It's like nothing changed and everything has changed. I don't want to start depending on him again. That's part of what happened last time. I want us to stay friends and be happy with that."

Amelia tilted her head, looking confused. "Are you scared he's going to fall for you again?"

Sookie shook her head. "That's not the problem. _I'm_ falling for _him_."

"Well damn girl! It's about damn time!" Amelia was beaming a smile that would have looked perfect in a toothpaste commercial.

Sookie covered her face with her hands and shook her head. "No, that's not a good thing. Do you think either of us can forget what happened when one of us was in love with the other? He seems bound and determined to not repeat history. He's okay with being friends, but I can't ask him for more then that. I won't do that to him again."

Amelia pulled Sookie's hands away from her face. "This would not be repeating history. For one, you want him. Complete reversal. Two, you're not some damaged little sheltered girl anymore. You can stand on your own feet and have been doing a damn good job of it too, I might mention. Three, he's not some pussy-whipped sucker ready to do your bidding. His life no longer revolves around you. You are both different, independent people. You just happened to know each other when life was different."

Sookie took that in. She understood Amelia's reasoning, but it didn't make it any easier to deal with her feelings. She didn't know what to do anymore and for the first time she could remember, she didn't have to slightest idea of what to do.

****A/N:** Well, well, well. Momma Sophie has some apron string issues. She doesn't realize Eric is a full grown man completely capable of making his own decisions. Man, she does **not** like Sookie, does she? **Please review**. I want some feedback on how this is going. I think I'm back on the right path again.


	19. Chapter 19

****A/N:** YAY! I'm really really really happy with this chapter. I was getting mad at work for my job interrupting my writing. I felt like I was on a roll with this one. Enjoy. Oh yeah, and Charlaine Harris owns the characters, yada yada yada...

Chapter 19

Sookie laid in the wading pool while her daughter napped. It was a week before Alana's birthday party and Sookie used the down time to go over the plans in her mind. She had sent out invitations, ordered the cake, bought the stuff for goodie bags and wrapped Alana's present. She felt full to the brim of preparedness. Alana was an easy going child and wasn't likely to get herself of all worked up if the party wasn't perfect. She just wanted to have fun with her friends. She had searched high and low for Tinkerbell and Peter Pan goody bag stuffers. She knew the boys coming to the party would sneer at anything decorated with fairies.

Even though he didn't have kids, Eric was invited. Alana adored him and loved it when he came over. He would play with her and keep her occupied while Sookie made dinner or finished other chores.

It was common for Eric to join them in the evenings during the week. She tried to pull back from him a little bit. She knew the more time she spent with him, the more she'd want him. And she was disappointed in herself on Alana's behalf.

She had tried really hard to keep Alana from getting attached to anyone who wasn't going to stay in her life. She had gotten to the stage where "daddy" was a fascinating concept, mainly because she didn't have one. After getting her to understand that neither of the adult males in her life were her daddy, Sookie explained that her daddy was a man that Mommy knew a long time ago and left it at that. Any more would be information overload for someone so young. Besides which, she wouldn't understand, She wanted to kick herself really hard for letting an attachment to Eric form. But she was not willing to break it off, either.

The day of the party arrived. Amelia and Eric came over early to help decorate and keep Alana occupied.

Eric was completely enamored with the little girl he would have sworn he'd never care about. Although her olive complexion and dark curls made her look as different from her mother as possible, her personality was all Sookie. You couldn't talk down to her; she wouldn't hesitate to show her temper if you did. Her temper was like Sookie's too: quick, violent squalls that blew over quickly. She was also fiercely independent and determined in getting her way. Eric tried to follow Sookie's lead with the rules, but he couldn't help but indulge Alana every now and then.

While he had no confusion about his feeling for Alana, he was utterly mixed-up about his feelings for Sookie. He could recall the infatuation of years ago and these feelings were different. It was almost like, now he was whole, but hadn't realized he wasn't before. He wasn't comfortable with the feeling; in fact, he didn't want to feel this way. He would never forget the hell that Sookie put him through. Although he had forgiven her over the years, he wasn't a masochist. His whole being rebelled against going through that kind of pain ever again.

But he refused to sever the connection. He knew that he was falling for her all over again; his heart and his mind were at odds with each other. He knew if her were smart, he'd run for the hills. But he'd also never been smart where Sookie was concerned.

**X.x.X.x.X.x**

The party had been a success. All the kids had had fun, and Alana was a happy, exhausted newly-four year old. She had a very light dinner after a day of feasting on candy and birthday cake. She gave Sookie and Eric sleepy hugs and said she wanted to go to bed. Sookie gave her a quick rinse off in the bathtub and tucked her in.

Eric helped Sookie clean up the party debris from the back yard. After the trash bags were filled and put by the curb, they returned to the back yard. Alana's new "big girl" pool now sat on the grass on it's protective mat, newly filled. They looked at it, then each other, and ran laughing inside to change into swim suits.

Sookie changed into her trusty purple and black bikini and Eric came out in midnight blue board shorts that showed off his eight-pack abs and V of his hips. Sookie tried to keep from drooling. They eased into the chilly water in the pool, fresh from the garden hose. Sookie's skin tingled at the difference between the sticky, hot air of the evening and the cold water. Eric bobbed across from her, apparently enjoying the chill.

The water was only four feet deep and the pool was six feet across. Eric was able to kneel and the water only came to his chest. Sookie dunked herself under and smoothed her wet hair out of her face. She looked so refreshed, Eric sank under the water too. When he surfaced, he was directly in front of Sookie. Little beads of water stood off his bronzed summer skin, reflecting the full moon.

She knew she was in dangerous territory and backed away slowly, trying to look as if she were just floating toward the edge of the pool. He followed. She bumped her back against the edge. He was still in front of her. "What are you doing, Eric?" she asked nervously.

"What are we doing here?" he asked seriously. "Why do you talk to Amelia about me when I'm always right here to talk to?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" her voice squeaked.

He smirked. "Little rabbits have big ears," he said, flicking his eyes towards Alana's room. "She asked me if you were falling for me, would you get hurt, like she did when she fell off the monkey bars."

"Oh, God," she moaned, covering her face with her hands.

"Are you falling for me, Sookie?" he asked quietly.

"Umm..." she said, trying to stall. "Umm... well... God, she should have asked you that. She must have heard me talking to Amelia earlier this week. That damn baby monitor!" she cursed the thing.

"So, are you falling for me?" he asked again, edging closer.

"I... I... damn it!" She closed her eyes and tried to organize her thoughts. "Yes, okay? I have been falling for you more and more since you helped me calm down after Lani went to the hospital. You are so good with Alana. You were brave enough to try my cooking! There are so many things about you that I never saw before that... God, I can't even explain it. But I don't want to ruin what we have, here and now. I know I'm not the same person I was, but I never want to hurt you like I know I did. The guilt over that always lingers in my mind and I will do anything to keep that from happening again. I don't want to be the cause of anyone, especially you, to ever feel that way again."

"Thank you. Can I say something now?" he asked quietly, his voice seeming magnified by the quiet night air.

"Uh-huh," she whispered.

"I have been debating myself for weeks about this. Because that pain lingers in my mind too. I don't ever want to feel like that again, because it almost destroyed me. But I'm not the same person either. I've gone out, seen other people, had other relationships. I know what I want. I know what I want from my job and I know what I want from life in general."

"And?" she asked, holding her breath and felt her spine stiffen.

He leaned a few inches forward so they were nose to nose. "I want you."

She released her breath quietly. She closed her eyes and tried to still the eagles that seemed to have taken off in her stomach.

He leaned forward and gently kissed her, just a light brush of his lips over hers. "Are you sure you want me?" he asked very quietly. "Because I'm willing to give this a try if you are, but things have to be different then before."

"I agree," she said, a little giddily.

He backed away from her her. "I mean it. No more playing, no more games. If you feel like you need space, tell me. If we do this and I wake up to you gone again, I won't be held responsible for my actions. You tell me what you need and I tell you what I need. No more secrets." He pointed back and forth between them. "Communication. Open lines here."

She nodded and moved closer to him. He stopped her. "We take this slow. We start fresh. No picking up where we left off. We both agree that we're new people. So we start like new." He smiled and held out his hand. "I'm Eric. And you are?"

She laughed and shook his hand. "I'm Sookie"

He leaned closer to her again. "I'm freezing," he whispered.

She laughed and got out of the pool, he followed. She handed him a towel and wrapped one around her waist. They went in a changed back into their clothes. "Well, Eric, would you like to stay and watch a movie or do you need to go?"

He smiled. "It's a Saturday, so I can sleep in tomorrow. I'm up for a movie."

The browsed her DVDs again and tried to find something they could agree on. He was all about action, while she liked comedies and chick flicks. She found a hidden treasure. She pulled out "Romeo + Juliet" from the 90's with Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio. Romance and Elizabethan language for her, guns and violence for him.

They popped in the movie and laid on the couch again, only this time, she curled up against him, her head on his shoulder. They fell into the world of Baz Luhrmann's insane Verona for two hours. When the movie ended, she felt ready to pass out. She walked Eric to the door to day good night.

"Do you object to kissing on the first date?" he asked teasingly.

She shook her head. He leaned forward and gave her another feather light kiss. "Good night." he whispered quietly and left. When she head his car start pulling out, she locked the door behind her. She was about to head up the stairs when there was a soft knock at the door. She opened it to Eric standing there. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her the burning kiss she had been hoping for, his lips hot on hers. After a few passionate moments, he pulled away. "That was the kiss I meant to give you. Good night again."

She nodded mutely, stunned. She went to bed and fell asleep with a smile. She was looking forward to tomorrow.

****A/N:** Yay again! Not really anymore to say. Again, review, review, review! I thrive on hearing your thoughts about my little personal "Sookieverse".


	20. Chapter 20

****A/N:** Okay, first I want to say, if you didn't know, I don't have a beta, so all mistakes are my own. Also, any misspellings when Alana talks are intentional; the rest are just my tired brain not proofreading as well as I should. This chapter is an example of my trouble with "middles"... I like a lot of details that other may find pointless. Sorry, if you are among them. Charlaine Harris owns the characters, but I wanted to dress then up and play with them.

**Chapter 20**

Sookie was thrilled to bursting about being with Eric again. Eric was committed to starting completely fresh. If it were seventy years earlier, she would say he was courting her, and it was refreshing. He would show up with little bouquets, running the gamut from wildflowers from the park to florist roses. He would sometimes appear with little treats for Alana from the farmer's market, like fresh strawberry shortcake or blackberries and cream. At first, Sookie found it kind of silly, but she started to see, and appreciate, the romance of the gestures.

She had never been really been "romanced" before. Eric, knowing her longer than anyone besides her brother, was aware of that fact. Despite her age, she had had few relationships, all of them destined to fail in some way or another. And when she thought back on her time with Eric before she left, well, she wanted to beat herself over the head with a sledgehammer.

Hindsight is 20/20 and she could look back and see clearly how badly she had used and treated Eric in general. She had been intentionally blind to his devotion, because she hadn't wanted to see it. He knew her too well, and it was her nature not to trust _anyone_. Eric had been the only person who had ever been able to get her to lower any of her walls. She could see that _he_ had been _her_ habit, until she left.

She could also see clearly how things had changed in the five years that had passed since then. She allowed herself to trust. She had friends outside of her family. And having such an outgoing and active little girl as Alana was had forced Sookie outside of her comfort zone. She learned that she loved it. She enjoyed that she got to experience a side of the world that she had denied herself before.

Eric also liked providing the romance. He wanted to show her the little gestures that he hadn't been able to indulge in when they were together before. He liked surprising her. There was also the novelty of being able to show her affection openly. Alana was used to receiving hugs and little kisses from him and returned them eagerly. Sookie had no qualms about returning his affectionate embraces and kisses in front of her daughter; she was used to her mommy getting "sugar" from Eric.

Sookie had no doubts in her mind that this was the real thing. She was sure with Eric. No one knew her better, and she knew now that she wouldn't take it for granted. She had changed for the better since becoming a mother, and he had changed also. They were no longer the absolute center of the others world.

She decided to have a cookout for the Fourth of July. It was also close to her birthday, so Eric decided to surprise her with a little party at the same time. After she had invited Amelia and her family and Jason and his family to the cookout, Eric had called after to tell them about the surprise party. He had taken a page from her book and got the necessary numbers off her phone while she put Alana to bed.

The week before the cookout, Sookie started stocking up on essentials, waiting to buy the perishables until the third. By that night, she was completely stocked with hot dogs, hamburger, buns, condiments, beer, juice boxes, sodas, and picnic style sides. The local fairgrounds where they held the community Independence Day celebration wasn't far from her house; they wouldn't have to leave her back yard to see the fireworks. She invited Eric to spend the night innocently, since he had already volunteered to show up early to help with the setup. He accepted, with the condition that he would use one of the guest rooms. It was still too soon in the relationship for him to share her bed and he also knew that if he did, he wouldn't be able to keep his hands to himself.

He showed up that night with a change of clothes and something to sleep in. After putting Alana to bed, Eric and Sookie both changed into cool lounging clothes and lit the citronella candles on the back deck. She plugged in the umbrella lights and they sat across from each other on the deck, she propping her feet into his lap. He gave the world's best foot massages and Sookie greedily took advantage of the fact. She leaned back and relaxed as Eric's talented fingers hit every reflex point and felt the tension leave her body.

"What do you want to do for your birthday?" he asked, as he continued to rub her feet.

"Huh? If you want me to be coherent for a conversation, stop rubbing." She smirked at him, knowing he liked giving the massages almost as much as she liked receiving them.

"I asked what you wanted to do for your birthday. It's right around the corner," he said, trying to lay a false trail if she had any questions about anything unusual she might see tomorrow.

"Oh, I don't know. You know me. I don't really get into a tizzy about these things. It's only 28, not a big one that ends in an '0'. I thought I might get Amelia or Jason to babysit and we'd go out and do something. It's not really a big deal," she said carelessly, and wiggled her toes, silently hinting for him to get back to the massage.

She was the go-to babysitter for her brother and her friend. She took care of Luke and Grace for Amelia and Tray's anniversary, as well as private celebrations that all couples occasionally need, and did the same for Jason and Michele with Austin and Melanie. They would do the same for her, but she never really needed "private celebration" time recently. At least, not yet.

They went in and cooled of in the AC and watched a little TV, snuggled together on the couch. She took him to the guest room _without_ the bunk beds and kissed him good night. She was bound and determined to do this his way and not fall back into old patterns. Besides, she had a child in the house, known for waking up and wandering in the middle of the night. As much as she wanted him, she was going to be good.

Being good was no good for sleep though. She tossed and turned, even her lightest sheets being to hot. She kept going over preparations in her mind about what needed to be done for tomorrow before her mind would take a red-light detour. She decided to turn on the TV to a music channel to help her go to sleep, but Sirius was against her. She wondered if their rotation had every sexual themed song playing during the 1 am hour. She turned the music off and just thought to herself, "Don't do it don't do it don't do it" over and over. Her willpower held, but she didn't get to sleep until a few hours later and as a result, she was a bear in the morning.

Alana did her morning routine as a human alarm clock and bounded into her mom's room at 6:30 and jumped on the bed. Sookie pulled the pillow over her head and mumbled incoherently. Disappointed, Alana had the idea to wake up Eric in the same manner, before Sookie growled, "Get your little behind back over here, Missy. I'll get up in a second, but you don't disturb guests when they're visiting. Let Eric sleep."

She took her daughter downstairs and started a pot of badly needed coffee. While it was brewing, she fixed Alana a cup of milk and a corn-dog thing made of a sausage link and pancake batter that she just loved. Sookie watched the pot with impatience before giving up and poured her first mug from the pot while it continued to brew. Eric came down shortly after, looking disgusting perky and well rested. He helped himself to a mug and looked at Sookie with an amused twinkle in his eye, as though he knew why she looked so exhausted. And knowing him, he probably did. She tossed him a good natured dirty look and asked what he wanted for breakfast.

"What on earth is that thing she's eating?" he asked, looking at Alana's breakfast. Sookie explained what it was. "That sounds good. I could go for a couple of those." Sookie crinkled her nose, but pulled two from the freezer and popped them in the microwave.

"Eric, we gonna play today? You wanna get in my pool?" Alana asked after finishing her food.

"Well, I think you're going to be too busy with Austin and Grace and Luke and Melanie to play with me. I think I'm going to have to play with your mommy while you play with your friends," he told her, smiling. Her face lit up.

"The cookout! I frogot! Yay!" Alana exclaimed.

"Yep, your Uncle Jay and and Aunt Michele and Amelia and Tray and all the kids are coming over later this morning. We're going to cook a whole bunch of food and play games, and if you take a nap this afternoon, you'll be able to see some fireworks tonight!" he told her. Sookie was glad that he'd thrown in that line about a nap. Knowing the kids, it would be the bargaining chip the grown-ups needed to get the kids to rest.

She started the prep work of filling bowls with chips and salsa and filling coolers with ice for the drinks. Eric pulled out extra chairs and set up the folding tables on the lawn. Sookie went over the head count again mentally. Six adults and five children, but one child not quite on table food yet and the three male adults eating enough for three each, she'd had to modify the count in her head when she went shopping.

She set up her stereo on the deck and connected her Ipod so she controlled what music was playing. She made sure the volume level was appropriate and checked the clock. They had a little less then an hour before people started showing up.

She went back in to shower and get dressed, after making sure Eric was okay with Alana for about half an hour. She set the water to cooler then usual and tried to get into a get-together kind of mood. She changed into cutoff jean shorts and a tank top. Even though her back yard was shady, it was still hotter then hell at the beginning of July. She pulled her wet hair back into a braid and went to join Eric and Alana. She stocked bottles of different kinds of bug repellent by the deck door, from baby-friendly to super strength. She got Alana dressed in her bathing suit and wiped her down with a sunblock-repellant combo that she had found, then doused herself and Eric in the waterproof stuff.

Amelia and Tray with their twins showed up first, as they lived closest. The kids were already shedding their clothes and running for the pool. She gave Amelia some of the bug spray and headed out back to keep an eye on the kids. Shortly after, Jason and Michele arrived with their kids. Melanie was toddling now, but preferred being carried everywhere if she could get away with it. Austin tore off toward the pool like the other kids, barely saying hi to his aunt.

Jason cornered Eric alone and asked when they were doing the surprise. Eric said he thought the best time was when the kids were inside for their naps. While Sookie, Michele, and Amelia worked on getting the kids calm enough to nap, the guys would bring out the gifts and surprise Sookie.

Sookie started up the grill and was quickly pushed aside by Eric, Jason, and Tray, who each insisted they new the best way to prepare the burgers and hotdogs. Sookie went to sit in the shade with Amelia, Michele, and Melanie, watching their men argue. It was highly amusing, considering there weren't a lot of ways to vary cooking on a gas grill.

Everyone ate their fill, even the kids who hadn't wanted to leave the water. Sookie handed around towels and the moms started shepherding the kids inside for a nap after a morning of water activity and sun. They reminded the kids that if they wanted to stay up for the fireworks, they had to take a nap. It worked like a charm. In the dark, air conditioned room, the kids quickly fell unconscious.

Sookie quietly made her way downstairs and headed toward the back. It was unusually quiet. Michele and Amelia had gone out before her, but she couldn't hear them either. She slid the door open and heard a loudly whispered "SURPRISE!"

She saw a table with several gifts and cards and laughed. She hugged everyone when she realized she'd been ambushed at her own cookout. She opened the gifts. A gift card to ACE Hardware from Jason (well, it's the thought...), a spa day gift certificate from Tray (she knew who had picked it out, but again...), a full outfit, from lingerie to shoes, from Amelia, and several movies from Michele. She exclaimed over each of them appropriately.

She noticed there wasn't a gift from Eric, who was quietly standing at the edge of the deck. She smiled at him and he mouthed the word "Later" to her. Her smile grew and her cheeks tinged pink.

After the kids woke up and got back to the pool, the adults milled around, someone always watching the water. Jason organized an informal poker game where people flowed in and out as the situation demanded. Dinner followed later with the same grilling arguments. The sky darkened and the air cooled. At full dark, they heard the first whistle and pop and the sky exploded in color. The show lasted 30 minutes and the children were spellbound, having never seen professional fireworks before.

Sookie leaned against Eric, his arms wrapped around her over her shoulders. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. You'll get your present from me on your actual birthday. You just have to wait a few days." He chuckled at her frustrated glower and went back to watching to show, knowing the curiosity would eat at her. She had patience, but this was too much. He just shook his head and said she had to wait. Sookie knew it would be no good to beg or ask for hints. She settled back against him and let her mind wander to what he could possibly surprise her with that she didn't already have.

****A/N:** So, what will Eric be giving Sookie for her big 2-8? Anyone want to make a guess? I'm still flipping back and forth between a couple ideas. As always, review, review, review. It's the highlight of my day when you guys tell me what you think. Make my phone buzz!


	21. Chapter 21

****A/N:** To answer a question from one reviewer to yesterday's chapter. I considered inviting Pam to the cookout. But she would have been a single person among the couples that are Sookie's friends and family. Also, she's already stated that she doesn't much like kids, so she would have been irritated with all the children running around. It was more friendly to leave her to her own devices. That said, there is some gourmet lemons. Hope you enjoy. Sookie's birthday rocks. Charlaine Harris owns them, but I'm letting them play in my world for awhile.

**Chapter 21**

Sookie dropped Alana off with Amelia and sat to chat for a few moments. The kids ran off to play in the loft that served as their playroom. Amelia had rigged the room with cameras and had a little monitor that clipped to her belt.

"Mia, is it silly that I'm worried about tonight? It is, isn't it? All I've been told is to dress up. He won't tell me what we're doing or where we're going. I know what I want to happen tonight, but I'm following his lead here." Her cheeks were flushed and her mind racing.

Amelia laughed. "Honey, you're not exactly a blushing virgin. Hell, it's not even your first time with _him_! What the hell do you have to be worried about?"

"Nothing is the same! He was my best friend for years and yes, it was a friendship with benefits, For me, it was just sex. Spectacular sex, but just sex. For _years_! This is something completely different. And I don't know that he's planning for tonight to be **the** night. I just don't know how to get into the right state of mind since he won't tell me what we're doing." Sookie felt like she was on the verge of a babbling jag.

Amelia leaned back. "Have you ever heard of going with the flow?" She lightly shook Sookie's shoulders. "What happened to my carefree friend? You need to chill out and let what will be, be."

"I know, I know. Hey, thanks for keeping Alana this weekend. I have to go get ready," Sookie said, standing. Amelia kissed her cheek, wished her a happy birthday, and wished her good luck.

When Sookie got home, she stared at her closet contents, trying to decide what to wear. "Dress up" had different levels of formality to everyone, but she had a clue of what she was looking for. A glitter of light drew her to it.

She found the dress she had bought on impulse a few years ago, but had never worn. It was a simple satin slip dress in pale shell pink with random shimmery gold threads woven in. The pale color highlighted her summer tan and it came to right above her knee. She showered and shaved carefully, as her hands were shaking slightly. She smoothed herself all over with cherry blossom lotion. She let her hair dry in waves and decided to leave it down. Her makeup was minimal, just enough to play up her eyes. She found the right lingerie so lines wouldn't show through the filmy material of the dress. She checked the clock. She had 15 minutes to force herself to chill out before Eric would pick her up. At ten of seven, her doorbell rang. She smiled and answered the door. Eric and his need to be early.

She opened the door and was speechless for a few moments. His tall frame was clad in a charcoal gray summer-weight suit and a royal blue shirt, tie-less, and unbuttoned at the collar. His eyes stood out like blue flames. And, currently, his jaw was on her porch.

"Hi, Eric," she said, smiling widely. "You look fantastic. I just have to grab my purse and we can go." She turned to get it from the kitchen, but stopped when she felt his hand on her arm.

"Not yet," he said huskily, and pulled her against him for a short, but searing kiss. Releasing her, he said, "Okay, now you can get it."

She quickly grabbed the little beaded bag from the counter and came back. "What was that for?" she asked.

"Your birthday kiss," he said, as though she should have known

He opened the door for her to get in the car. When he got in, she asked, "So, where are we going?"

"Sorry, it's a surprise until we get there," he said and laughed at the frustration on her face.

After a little while, he pulled into Ralph and Kacoos, one of Sookie's favorite restaurants. She clapped her hands happily, like a little girl, when she saw the sign. "Oh, I haven't been here in years! You remembered!"

He opened the door for her and held her had as they went in. She loved seafood, but it was beyond her skill in the kitchen. They took their seats and ordered drinks. He ordered a sirloin and she ordered the avocado and crab salad. They talked about their week. He told her some funny stories about Pam and she told him about Alana and Amelia. Before they knew it, the meal was done. Eric paid the check and led her back out to the car.

He drove a few miles to a park where a band was playing in a gazebo. He walked her to an empty patch of grass and asked her to dance. She giggled like a teenager, but took his offered hand. They danced under the moon to the Sixties beach music. When the band ended and the park started to clear, he said, "We have one more stop to make."

He drove her to the Remington Suites and headed for one of the luxury suites. "I got the key this afternoon. Tell me now if you aren't ready for this."

She just smiled and breathlessly whispered, "Thank you, God!" and kissed him.

He swiped his key card and opened the door. An enormous room spread before her. She wandered in and looked around. "Eric, you shouldn't have done this. It's so much, and most of this room is going to go to waste."

Her pulled her to him. "Not if I have my way. Amelia has Alana until Sunday. It's Friday night. We have _a lot_ of time to spend in here." He gave her her favorite mischievous smile, then kissed her quickly. He led her down the small hallway to the bedroom.

She could feel the heat rising in her face and nerves tighten her stomach when she looked at the king bed. She looked at Eric and couldn't look away. He had hung his suit jack on a hanger and turned around to face her. "What's wrong?" he asked, instantly worried.

"I don't know how to say it. I want this. I want _you_. I haven't wanted anything like this in _so_ long. I just don't want to disappoint you," she whispered. Her old insecurities had returned. He knew she needed reassurance.

"Sweetheart, you won't. I want this too. _A lot_," he emphasized, drawing from her a small, anxious smile. "If I didn't think we were ready for this, I'd take you straight home. But we are. I know we are." He leaned forward and gave her one of his feathery kisses, just brushing his lips lightly over hers. He drew back to look at her again. Her eyes were still closed, her lips slightly pursed from the brief meeting with his. He leaned in again and kissed her harder. Her arms went around his neck to keep him from moving away again. She opened her mouth to allow his tongue to explore her's while she lightly ran her nails up and down over the back of his neck, giving him little shivers.

She stepped back from him and started unbuttoning his shirt. Her fingers were shaking. He placed his hands over hers to calm her. His shirt finally undone, Sookie took another step back. The slid the slippery straps of her dress down her arms and it slid to the floor where it lay like a shimmery puddle. Eric growled, seeing her in a pale pink strapless bar and matching thong. It was a fantasy come to life. He pulled her back to him and his mouth went to her neck, that special sensitive spot at her collarbone and right below her ear. She tilted her head to the side to allow him easier access and sighed.

She nestled one hand in his thick blond hair and ran the fingertips of the other hand over his bare chest, brushing teasingly over his nipples and tracing the planes of his abs, smiles as the muscles flexed in response to her touch.

He reached behind her and unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the floor with the dress. He had missed her breasts. He cupped them and heard Sookie purr. His fingers teased her nipples as she had done his, enjoying the way they hardened under his hands. He kissed and licked each one, loving the taste of her skin.

She worked on getting his belt unfastened. Her hands were no longer shaking, but determined. She finally got the damn thing unbuckled and was delighted to see he had gone commando. She stroked him and was rewarded with another deep growl. She pulled his head from her breasts to her mouth, kissing him deeply before sinking to her knees. She took him in her mouth and used her lips and tongue in ways he had never known she could. His hands tightened in her hair as he gasped and surprised her and himself by coming hard without warning. She swallowed everything and wiped her mouth. Her brought her a cup of water and waited until she had finished. "Now it's your turn," he said breathlessly and picked her up and laid her on the bed.

He began lightly running his fingertips over her nearly nude body. There was something delightfully decadent about that tiny swatch of fabric. He leaned over her and kissed her softly again. He proceeded to brush his lips softly over the usually neglected parts of the body: the inside of her arm, her sides, the backs of her knees, getting repaid with goosebumps from contact with those sensitive areas. She squirmed from lack of contact where she wanted it most. He smiled at her frustration and lack of patience. He loved the buildup of foreplay and made the most of it.

He began kissing her along the edges of her thong, but didn't remove it, not yet. His breath was hot on her stomach and her thighs. She whimpered, wanting more contact. She had never know Eric to tease so much and it was building up a tension in her like she had never known.

He slowly, _too_ slowing began to edge the thong down her legs, kissing down her legs behind it. When it was off, he tossed it in the general direction of her dress, not really caring where it landed. He returned to kiss her deeply again. One hand ran down her body and one long finger slid into her gently. Her back arched and she moaned in his mouth. His talented fingers played with her intimately, rewarding him with little cries of pleasure.

He kissed his way back down her body again and sucked and lightly grazed her nipples with his teeth. He dallied there for a bit on the way to his destination. He mouth finally joined his hand and when his tongue ran over her, she cried out loud. He felt her walls clinch down on his fingers in spasms, her cries in little gasps.

He hovered over her, hard again. "Tell me," he said gruffly.

"Please, Eric. I want you. Please. I want you inside me," she moaned, trying to pull him closer.

He pushed into her slowly, relishing her response as her hips raised to meet his. He paced his thrusts, enjoying the feel of her body moving with his. Her breath started coming in gasps as she got closer to her release. She wrapped her legs around his waist and bucked her hips, trying to get him to pick up the pace and give her the relief she craved. Feeling his own moment close, he pushed deeply into her and felt her shudder and heard her cry out as she came again. He shouted with his own release and collapsed next to her. She was still shaking and he wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled closer to him and rubbed her cheek against his bare chest. He pulled the blankets over them and spooned against Sookie's back, her hair silky under his chin. She pulled away and turned over to face him.

She placed a hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes. "I love you, Eric," she whispered.

****A/N:** Everyone together: Awwww! She finally admits it! So, does Eric feel it there yet? Does he say it back? Another personal note. I know I have been updating almost daily. Unfortunately, the flare ups are getting worse and updates may be coming slower until my meds get everything regulated. Please be patient with me and know I haven't abandoned you or Sookie and Eric. Just have to get everything regulated before I can get back on schedule. **PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE** review!


	22. Chapter 22

****A/N:** What a way to start the story: some fresh squeezed lemonade. Eric is more like the self- assured sex god we all know, love, and wish resided in the non-fiction section. Just for your (and my personal) enjoyment. Charlaine Harris owns the characters, but man, are they fun to play with!

**Chapter 22**

He pulled the blankets over them and spooned against Sookie's back, her hair silky under his chin. She pulled away and turned over to face him. She placed a hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes. "I love you, Eric," she whispered.

He swallowed hard and was speechless. After all the years, all the ups and downs that they had been through, both together and apart, he had never been able to imagine what it would feel like to have her say those words to him in that way. His breath hitched. This was the way it was supposed to be. "Say it again," he choked out, just wanting to make sure he wasn't dreaming it.

"I love you. I love you. I love you," she whispered again, her blue eyes gazing into his.

Eric closed his eyes and let the words wash over him. He knew she was waiting for him to respond, but he wasn't able to speak just yet. The moment he had been waiting for and the enormity of her declaration overwhelmed him.

He kissed her hard and said, "Sookie Stackhouse, you have had my heart for fourteen years. I never really got it back, even with the time apart. I love you too."

She exhaled and realized she had been holding her breath. She pulled him back to her and kissed him passionately. Her body rubbed against his, trying to get closer than they were. Any space between them seemed intolerable and she sought to remedy the situation immediately. Her legs tangled with his and her arms were wrapped tightly around him, one hand in his hair and the other holding him to her.

He obliged her desire. His body wrapped around hers as their mouths melded together. He was surprised to find himself ready to go again. He reached to find that apparently she felt the same way. He turned them over so that he was above her, and Sookie shook her head. He smiled against her mouth and turned the other way so she was on top. She positioned herself over him and slid onto his hardness, sighing with the feeling of completion. She braced herself with her hands on his chest and he steadied her with his hand on her hips. She slowly started rocking her hips. His hands slip upwards to cup her breasts and she moved, looking like a goddess above him. Her lips were swollen from their kisses and he felt male pride at "marking" her in that way.

She leaned forward and gave him another of those kisses that seared him to his soul. His hips picked up where hers left off and her her gasping breaths give way to moans. He sat up beneath her and pulled her closer. She wrapped her legs around his waist and ground against him while he made a feast of her breasts, kissing, licking, suckling them as if they were the last meal of a condemned man. Her moans escalated to cries and he felt her shudder and call his name. He gave himself over and came with her, breathless.

She slid off him and collapsed to the bed and looked up at him, gazing down at her. "Do you realize that you have officially made this the best birthday in the history of birthdays?" she asked, smiling.

He leaned over and kissed her again. "Then my goal was accomplished. I wanted tonight to be memorable. Thank you for making it that way."

"I've been thinking it for weeks now. I see you with Alana. I see you with Amelia and Jason, the way you treat everyone. You are so good and so kind and..," she sighed, trying to find the words to complete her thoughts. "You melt my heart. I know I'm not saying this right. But I love you. Really, truly, completely love you." She loved hearing herself say the words and know that she meant them with all her heart.

"This was the way it was supposed to be. You know that, right? It was always you for me. Others may have come into my life, but it was always you," he said.

She nodded, and snuggled against him again as he laid down next to her. "I'm sorry it took me so long to realize the same."

He rubbed his cheek against the top of her head. "Well, we're here now. And I think you need some rest... because I'm nowhere near done with you this weekend."

She turned on her side again and he spooned against her back, his arm wrapped around her. He nuzzled and kissed her neck. "Happy birthday again, lover," he whispered before sinking into satisfied sleep.

She woke up the next morning to the smells of coffee, bacon, and maple syrup. She sat up slowly, savoring the smells. She managed to open her eyes to see Eric, in one of the robes provided by the hotel, wheeling in a cart of covered dishes. "A caffeine-free Sookie is not a happy Sookie, so I ordered some room service. We have coffee and french toast and bacon. If I remember correctly, that _is_ your favorite breakfast, right?"

"Oh my God, you wonderful man! Let me clean up a little bit and I'll be right out." She ran to wash her face of the remnants of makeup and at least finger comb her hair to tame her tangles. She grabbed the other complimentary robe and joined Eric at the table he was setting. She sipped a mug of coffee and felt the relief of having her only drug flowing through her veins. She bit into a perfectly crisp piece of bacon and took a bite of the french toast. She moaned and Eric laughed. "I need to feed you like this more often, but if you keep making sounds like that, I might have to drag you away from the table. I want to be the only one making you moan like that."

She flushed pink and swallowed her food. "Well, you certainly have no problem in that department."

"I had an idea for a little excursion for this morning. You haven't ever been to the Rose Center, have you?" he asked.

"The what?" she asked, looking puzzled.

"You've lived in Shreveport how long and you didn't know we had the largest rose garden in America? Really?" he asked.

"I had no idea! One problem... what would I wear? I'm not wearing that dress to a park."

"Did I not mention that Amelia grabbed some of your clothes last time she was at your house for me to bring along if last night went the way it did? The bag she packed is in the car. If you want, I can go get it for you. Or we can stay here and..." he trailed off and grinned devilishly.

She finished her breakfast and stood, dropping her robe as she did. "The rose garden sounds lovely... for some other time. I, personally, would love nothing more then to stay in this room with you and make up for lost time. I have no desire to leave this room until we are forcibly ejected by the hotel. Or until check out time tomorrow. You know, whichever comes first."

They spent the rest of the day lounging in bed, watching TV or dozing as they desired. They would wake up from their little naps and make love again. Sookie felt insatiable. She hadn't remembered Eric as being _this_ good and she craved him as much as he wanted her. He ordered more room service for their meals so they wouldn't have to leave for anything. They took full advantage of the jacuzzi tub in the suite, and Sookie fully intended to look into getting one for her bathroom at home.

Sunday morning eventually came and Eric retrieved the bag from the car so Sookie could dress. After 36 hours of wearing nothing more then a robe, the clothes felt a little binding. Eric drove her home and walked her to the door. He leaned in and kissed her languidly, taking his time before separating. "You know I'm going to be coming by again tonight, right?"

"I wouldn't expect anything less. I have to go get Alana and hear Amelia beg for details. You'll be here for dinner?"

"Absolutely. I'll see you then." He kissed her again before she walked in and drove off.

**X.x.X.x.X.x**

Sookie drove to Amelia's house and, as she expected, was herded into the kitchen for details by her friend. The kids were napping, and she had nothing else to do with her time until they woke up. She would normally have no problem detailing her weekend for her friend, but the time with Eric seemed too special to gossip about. She told her about the dinner, and the dancing in the park, but just gave general details about their time in the hotel. _That_ was just for them.

Amelia pouted. "I want to hear _something_. After all, I _did_ keep his secret for him, and you know how hard that is for me! Give it up!"

Sookie thought about what to say. "I will tell you that it was better then I remembered. That he is amazing. And I told him that I loved him."

Amelia shrieked before she remembered the sleeping children. "You WHAT? You didn't even tell me that!"

Sookie rolled her eyes. "Don't you think he should be the first one to hear it?"

Amelia looked slightly abashed before saying, "Okay, and..?"

Sookie smiled as a flush of pink tinted her cheeks. "He loves me too."

"I knew it! I called it! Well, hon, it's about damn time is all I can say."

"Mommy?" asked a sleepy voice from the doorway. Sookie turned and held her arms open. Alana ran into them and gave her mom a huge hug. "I missed you. Are we going home?"

"Yes, sweetheart. Don't you have something to say to Miss Mia first, though?"

"Thank you, Miss Mia. I had fun," Alana responded dutifully. She hugged her mom again and waited while Amelia and Sookie made sure that she left with everything she came with.

One they were in the car and on the way home, Sookie looked at her daughter in the rear view mirror. "Eric's coming over for dinner. Is that okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. Cuz I missed him too," she said, and Sookie smiled. Everything was going perfectly.

**X.x.X.x.X.x**

Eric drove into Bon Temps to have a visit with his mom. He wanted to tell her about the new level his relationship with Sookie had taken, and see if she had anything she needed him to do for her.

Sophie greeted her son with her usual hug. "So tell me what's new, Son," she said.

Eric couldn't stop smiling. "You know Sookie and I have been going out for a few months now,right?"

"Hmmm," replied Sophie.

"Well, she told me she loves me. It's the real thing this time!"

"Oh dear God," mumbled Sophie. "Why on God's green earth are you putting yourself in this position again? She's going to hurt you all over again and this time, it's going to break you. I won't stand by and watch that happen."

"Mom, it's not like that. Things are different. She's different. _I'm_ different! She isn't the same girl she was when she left. I'm not the same man. I wish you would be happy for me. For us."

"Eric, baby, I want nothing more then for you to be happy. With anyone but her. She's not good for you. Do you not remember the hell you were in when she left? And came home with _another man's child_? Are you really okay with that?"

Eric's eyes hardened. "Alana is a wonderful child. I adore her, no matter who her father is. I want her, and Sookie, in my life. I love them, Mom. You don't have to love them, but you have to accept them in my life. I know that you have disliked Sookie since she was fourteen years old. You can't accept that she's grown into a beautiful, mature woman. She's different!"

"You knew how I felt about her? And you still let her screw you over as many times as she has? Do you think I haven't seen how life can fuck you over? She doesn't deserve you. You're too good for her!" Sophie exclaimed.

"No, Mom. I love Sookie and I love Alana. You just need to get over yourself and your outdated judgment of a girl who didn't know what she wanted. Have you ever given her a chance?"

"Why should I? What has she ever done for you? Besides jerking you around and breaking your heart?"

"What about the one girlfriend of mine that you did like? Where was your judgment then? Before I walked in on her with another man? And why can't you accept that I can make my own decisions? I am a grown man, not your 'baby' anymore. I'm sorry if you don't like it, Mom, but I'm in love with her. I always have been, even if I didn't recognize it. And you need to accept it. You can't change my mind. This was decided _long_ ago."

"So you choose her over me?" Sophie asked in a ragged voice.

Eric clasped her hands in his. "It's not a 'you or her' thing, Mom. I'm just asking you to give her a chance. You haven't even seen her in... God... almost eight years. You wouldn't recognize her. Please, Mom, give her a chance. I know you want me to be happy. She makes me happy."

Sophie pulled her hands away and gave Eric a hug. "I'll try for you. I won't promise anything. But I'll try. Just give me time to prepare myself. I need some time to get used to the fact that she's in your life and not going anywhere... as far as you know. It's going to take a lot for me to trust her with my bab... I mean, my son. I'll try to have faith that you know what the hell you're doing."

****A/N:** So, is Sophie going accept it or try to sabotage everything for Eric's own good. She's become a lot more devious and protective then I originally planned. BTW, the last time Sophie saw Sookie was when she basically told Sookie to let Eric move on when they first moved into the duplex. Thank you for all the well wishes, health-wise. I pushed through it today, because this chapter was nagging at me and wouldn't let me rest. I've been sitting her with my hubby's laptop, jamming to my Ipod, letting it just flow. Please review. Please review. Please review. I know we're in happy-happy land right now, but with me, you know the angst is never far behind.


	23. Chapter 23

****A/N:** Okay, some angst returns, but from an unexpected source. A lot of filler going on, but necessary as it leads up to the next chapter, which I'm already writing in my head. Again, I apologize for my need to "over-detail" everything for those who don't like it. Also, I wrote a lot of the last part of this chapter listening to Chris Isaac. "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing", anyone? Charlaine Harris owns the band, I just pick their costumes and set list while they play my venue.

**Chapter 23**

Eric drove back to Shreveport, bitterly replaying the argument with his mother in his mind. He _did_ adore his mom, and _was_ thankful for all that she sacrificed to bring him up properly. But he was almost 32 years old and fully capable of looking after himself and making his own decisions. But Sophie continued to see him and treat him as though he were ten.

He went to his apartment and picked up some clothes to bring with him to Sookie's... just in case. After a weekend of sleeping with her in his arms, he didn't want to think about sleeping alone again. But he did have to consider Alana. He didn't want her to learn about the birds and the bees too young by walking in on them. He knew that Sookie had had a "no sleep-over" rule, but she had already broken that rule on the Forth of July, even though he _had_ slept in a guest room. As far as he could see, there was nothing wrong with preparation.

He pulled into Sookie's driveway as darkness started to fall. He parked and knocked on her door. He could hear pattering feet and Sookie call to Alana, "Ask who it is before you open that door, young lady."

"Who is it?" called a little voice that made Eric smile.

"The Tooth Fairy," he called in a high falsetto.

"Mommy, Eric says he's the Tooth Fairy. Can I let him in now?" Eric started laughing. Alana must have seen him pull in. He heard Sookie tell her it was okay to open the door and as soon as it was open, she ran out and hugged him.

It amazed him how comfortable Alana was with him already. He picked her up and carried her into the kitchen. "What's Mommy making for dinner?" he asked.

"I dunno. She makes it a lot, but it's yummy."

Eric came up behind Sookie as she was browning some meat. He wrapped her in a hug and nuzzled her neck from behind. He could feel her smile against his forehead and heard her quiet sigh. "I'm glad you're here. She keeps asking why she had to stay with Amelia this weekend. My explanations aren't satisfying her."

"What do you want to know, Alana?" He sat at the table next to her and took her questions seriously.

"Why couldn't I go with you and Mommy? Why did I have to stay with Miss Mia?" she asked, dangerously close to pouting.

"Well," he started, trying to think of the best way to explain the situation. "You know that your mommy and I are good friends, right?" Alana nodded. "We wanted to spend a little time together to get to be better friends. We just needed a some grown-up time to talk and make sure that we understood each other."

"That's a lot of talking," Alana said, her eyes wide.

Eric looked at Sookie and tried not to smirk at her, knowing Alana would see it. "Mommy and I are very good friends now."

"So are you going to live here now?" Alana asked.

"No, I have my apartment. I live there," he explained, realizing that they were quickly slipping into treacherous ground.

Sookie put a casserole dish into the oven and washed her hands. "Sweetie, Eric has his own home, but sometimes he might spend the night here with Mommy, like you spend the night with Austin or with Luke and Grace." She looked at Eric and winked, then looked back to Alana. "If you aren't comfortable with that, all you have to do is tell me."

"But I love Eric! I want him to live here with us!" Alana exclaimed, her face flushing the way it always did when she didn't get her way. Both Eric and Sookie sputtered and stalled to figure a way out of the trap they had talked their way into. Alana was too smart for _their_ own good.

Eric changed the subject by asking what she had done over the weekend with Luke and Grace. She told him about the zoo they had gone too and the art projects that Amelia had set up for them. By the time she was done, the buzzer on the oven timer went off and dinner was served.

They ate in thoughtful silence, Eric and Sookie sneaking glances across the table. After they were done, Sookie took Alana upstairs for a bath and Eric volunteered to clear the table and load the dishwasher.

He used the alone time to think. They were _no where_ near ready to try living together. Were they? No, they weren't. They had only been together for a few months. But... their friendship had been growing for months before that. That didn't matter. Things were different this time. But not so different that they couldn't make the same mistakes. "Fuck!" he thought as he put the last dish in the dishwasher. This was a wrinkle he hadn't anticipated, and he was sure Sookie hadn't either.

Sookie sat Alana in the tub and poured warm water over the skin sticking out of the water. "Lana, why do you want Eric to live here?" she asked, wanting to gauge what her daughter's thought process was.

"You said that Eric's not Daddy. But I want him to be. And Mommies and Daddies live together. If Eric lived here with us, he could be my Daddy." Alana explained.

"Oh," Sookie managed to say and choked back tears while she finished helping Alana with her bath. She put Alana in her Tinkerbell nightgown after drying her off and gave her one hour of TV before bed. She was obsessed with America's Funniest Videos and laughed for an hour straight. As soon as the show was over, it was bedtime and she hugged Eric and gave him a kiss on the cheek before letting Sookie take her to bed.

When Sookie returned about ten minutes later, she hugged Eric as tight as she could and gave in to the tears that had been threatening to fall for over an hour. She explained to Eric why Alana wanted him to live there with them. He was as stunned as she was initially.

"I've been doing wrong by her. I never thought about how not having a father would affect her as she grew up." She paced the living room. "Everyone she knows has a Daddy. Austin and Lani have Jason; Luke and Grace have Tray. All her other little friends from the play group have a 'Daddy', even if their parents are divorced. She doesn't. She loves you and wants you to be her daddy. But I can't ask you to take on that responsibility. I won't."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because this is _my_ doing. My fucked up little head trip 5 years ago is coming back to bite me in the ass! I love Alana with all my heart, and I love you too. It's not right for me to ask you to take that on." She sniffled and stopped pacing, coming over to Eric and laying her forehead against his chest. "I'm giving you an out."

"What?" he asked, shocked. "An out? For what?"

"So you can walk away, no hard feelings. You don't need to take on my mistakes," she whispered into his chest.

Eric stroked her head. "Why don't you ask what I think?" he asked her.

Sookie continued to sniffle. "What do you think?"

He scooped her up and sat on her couch, with her in his lap, her head nestled into his shoulder. "You know that I love Alana too, right? She has me wrapped around her little fingers."

"Uh-huh," mumbled Sookie.

"I know this is happening fast. Faster then we anticipated. I think you need to do something before we can proceed any further," Eric said, suddenly business-like.

"What's that?"

"Is Zander's name on Alana's birth certificate?" he asked.

"Uh-huh," she responded.

"I think we need to go to Greece. To get this done with, to be free and clear, you need to get him to sign away or accept his parental rights."

"We?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I don't want an out here, Sookie. I told you, this is it, you and me. And Alana. If we're going to go the way I think we're going to, we need to clear everything up. Zander needs to know he has a child. Give him the opportunity to know her or give her up. But we can't move on until that part of her life is decided. We need to get her a passport. And we need to go to Greece. Do you think you can find him?"

Sookie was still stunned. Eric wasn't running for the hills. He wasn't refusing to play Daddy to her daughter. He wasn't taking the out. "Umm... I think so. He had told me he'd lived his whole life on Corfu. I can probably track him down. "

"Sookie, I'm not saying this is going to happen today, or even in the _near_ future. But it's something I've considered. You and Alana are a package deal and I love both of you. If he's willing to sign away his parental rights, and things keep going the way I see them going, it would allow me to possibly adopt Alana in the future." Eric leaned back and looked at her, feeling he'd made his point.

Sookie sat shell-shocked, her jaw open and unable to draw breath. "It's too much," she whispered. "It's too much too soon."

He cupped her cheeks and forced her to look into his eyes. "Look, this isn't happening tomorrow. It's going to take up to eight weeks just to get the passport. We have to have paperwork drawn up, outlining both situations. I know it's a lot to deal with. I'm not trying to pressure you into anything you don't want to do. But don't you think it's time to clear up this last little snag from your past? I have to say that if there were a chance that I had a kid out there somewhere, no matter how long I was with the mother, I'd want to know he or she even existed."

"You don't have a problem with me going back to Greece?" asked Sookie, trying to wrap her mind around everything they'd said.

"You wouldn't be going alone. I'd take time off to go with you, and draw up the paperwork. Alana would come too, just in case he does want to meet her. If he doesn't, she can have a nice vacation in an exotic locale. Look, I'm not trying to get you commit to anything we're not ready for. But she's starting to get curious about her family and she has a right to know who her biological father is. This is a chance to clean it up, make life simpler. For everyone," he rationalized.

Sookie shook her head in amazement. "What did I do to deserve you?" she asked quietly.

Eric rubbed his eyes and raked his hands through his hair. "You don't have to deserve me, Sook. Just be yourself. Everything will work out."

*****A/N: **Well, anyone else pick up on the hints that Eric is less than happy about the situation? He has no problem with Alana wanting him in her life, but he _**hates**_ the idea of Sookie going back to Greece and meeting up with Zander again. Since he's just really been a name until now, he get's his own character soon. Yea! I've been looking forward to fleshing him out. And anyone who had doubts of Sookie's maturity, I think I fixed it. She takes the blame for the mistakes she's made. Please review. Pretty pretty please with a naked Viking on top? You guys rock! Another update soon!


	24. Chapter 24

****A/N:** Okay, like I said, the last chapter was basically a lead in to this chapter, which has been playing out in my head for awhile. If you want to see my visual inspiration for Zander, check my profile for the link. I've had a little crush on Billy Zane since I saw "Demon Knight" when I was 16. Also, when Sookie gets tense, she had quite the foul mouth. I was a little lost on where to close this chapter, until I figured, they couldn't be there without enjoying some local fruity goodness, but lemons don't grow in Greece as far as I know, so for this chapter, they're olives. Doesn't sound as good, but I'm kinda giddy over this chapter. Charlaine Harris owns the main characters, but Zander is all mine and they're all vacationing in my world for the time being.

**Chapter 24**

Sookie, Eric, and Alana landed in Athens and waited for their puddle-jumper flight to Corfu. Sookie had found a small rental in Nissaki that was about the same price-wise as a hotel, but had more privacy. Alana was excited and wanted to jump in the pool immediately, but Sookie squashed that idea quickly. They had to bring in the bags and get unpacked first. Eric promised her that as soon as Sookie said it was okay, he would take her to the pool.

Sookie was tense and agitated. She hadn't planned on ever seeing Zander again and the anxiety was making her surly. She knew Eric understood, but Alana didn't know why Mommy was so snappish. Sookie kept apologizing to both of them for her mood.

She wasn't sure where to start her search. She had naturally tried Google from home, but that hadn't turned up anything. The only thing she could think of was heading to the beach he worked at when she met him and see if she could track him from there.

She braided her hair to keep it from sticking her face and back in the high humidity of the early fall in the Mediterranean and changed from her traveling clothes to a light sundress. She told Eric where she was headed. She wanted to get this out of the way and done.

She found the tiny beach of Kaminaki where she stayed over 5 years earlier. She took off her sandals and started strolling down the beach, looking at the lifeguard chairs placed at regular intervals. No one looked familiar. She started walking back to her rental Jeep and happened to look up at the right time and froze. She saw the dark curly hair and bitter chocolate eyes that she saw every day right in front of her. She also saw the blinding white smile and dimples that had charmed her. Her breath caught and he took a step closer to her.

"You look lost, little one. Could I offer my assistance?" he asked, clearly not recognizing her.

She smirked. "I've been here before. I know my way around quite well, thank you."

"Well, love, someone as beautiful as you should clearly not be going around unescorted. Again, I am your servant." He gave a little bow and grinned at her.

Had she really fallen for this bullshit? _Really_? She rolled her eyes, but decided this was as good a chance as she was going to get. "Perhaps you can walk me back to my car and talk a little bit, Zander."

His smile faltered. "How did you know my name, little one?"

It was her turn to smile. "Let's just walk and I'll tell you."

She started by giving him her name and when they had met, but his eyes still showed confusion. She sighed with frustration and realized she'd have to go slower. She reminded him that she had cut her foot on the rocky beach, and he had carried her to one of the _tavernas_ to wash the sand off and get a bandage. The confusion started to clear. She told him where the villa she had rented was and comprehension bloomed.

"Ah! Sookie! So good to see you again! I missed you when you left," he said and gave her the dimpled smile again.

Sookie didn't smile back and rolled her eyes again. "Zander, I know that you had another little surfer girl within a week. That's not why I sought you out. I don't care." She pulled out a recent picture of Alana and handed it to him. "That's my daughter, Alana."

He glanced at the picture and was about to hand it back before he held it closer and _really_ looked at it. He saw the black curls and the dimples that he saw in the mirror every day. His mouth moved soundlessly. Sookie nodded.

"You can keep that if you want. What I need to know is if you want to know her." Sookie held the trembling in her voice at bay. She really didn't know which way she felt, but either way he decided would disappoint her. She knew that much.

"Eh... Sookie... I am not in a position to care for a child," he said and put on a fake look of concern on his face.

"Did I ask you to care for her? Have I contacted you for support? No, because I do just fine on my own. I'm asking if you want to even fucking _meet_ your daughter. If you want any kind of relationship with her."

"Are sure she is mine?" Hope glimmered in his eyes.

"Positive. She turned four in May," Sookie said. "We were together from the middle of June to the middle of August. You can do the math, can't you?"

She waited while he counted in his mind and finally nodded. "Have you told her anything about me?" he asked.

"Other then that her father was a man I knew a long time ago, no. Your name is on her birth certificate, and if she ever asks, I won't lie to her. Will you just answer the Goddamn question? I'll even speak slowly. Do. You. Want. To. Meet. Your. Daughter?" She couldn't understand the hostility the she was feeling, but it was there, regardless.

"What good would it do? You obviously don't want me in her life and there's nothing I can offer her."

"I want what's best for her. And man-whore though you are, you still contributed to her creation. I'm asking a very simple question, Zander. I want an answer."

"Eh..," he stalled, feeling disgruntled that this had been sprung on him. "I think out would be best if I did not."

"Great," said Sookie with efficiency and reached into her bag. She pulled out a bound ream of forms with handy little stickers marking the places he had to sign to release any parental claim to Alana. "I need you to sign these. These are releasing you from any future claim or responsibility to one Alana Adele Stackhouse."

"Holy shit, Sookie. Is this the whole reason you came to find me?"

"Sign the damn forms, Zander. You don't want her in your life any more than I want you in hers. This just makes it legal." Sookie said exasperatedly.

"This form is why you came to Kaminaki? Why do you want me to sign these forms so badly?" he asked, looking at her suspiciously.

"For fuck's sake! What possible benefit would I have either way? You don't want to be her father. I wish you weren't her father. But she is the greatest little gift that God ever gave me and she just happens to share your genes. Just sign the forms and you're free to go off and seduce the next naive beach bunny that crosses your path. I just want this done."

She shoved the forms and a pen to Zander. He signed next to every sticker and bitterly shoved the forms back to her. She double-checked to make sure that every line was signed and put the forms back into her purse. She look at at the handsome, scowling face and gave him a completely insincere smile.

"Little one, it was so good to see you again," She said as she slid into the driver's seat of her Jeep and and took off toward the rental. Twilight was at it's peak by the time she had navigated the winding mountain roads and pulled into the drive.

She sat in the driver's seat in park, feeling amazingly exhausted. She had lost seven hours during the flight, and felt more weary then she could remember. She couldn't explain, even to herself, why she had felt so antagonistic towards Zander. It's not like he left her, pregnant and alone. _She_ had left _him_. She never contacted him to say he had a daughter. She had sprung it on him with no warning. She thought back over the entire meeting. It might have gone better if he hadn't tried to hit on her like he'd never met her before. Yep, that was the root of the hostility she was feeling. She focused on calming herself down, taking deep breaths with her forehead on the steering wheel.

**X.x.X.x.X.x**

Eric watched Sookie leave before escorting Alana to the pool. He was more worried than he would let himself show. He didn't like that Sookie had wanted to look for Zander alone. He was confidant in her love, but for her to go off and try to find her daughter's father, her former lover, was something he just couldn't be comfortable with.

He had filled the hours pacing. Alana started feeling the time difference after a short amount of time and was ready to lay down. He had helped her into dry clothes and tucked her in, feeling completely at ease with the parental-type duties. He had tried listening to music, but found that his mind's thoughts tuned out the sounds. He chose to lay out by the pool, hoping that the sounds of the water gurgling and the distant sound of the surf would sooth him.

He was about to start pacing again as twilight fell and he heard the sound of a car arriving. He walked toward the drive and saw Sookie bowed over the steering wheel. God, he hoped she wasn't crying. She didn't move until he opened her door to make sure she was okay.

He was relieved that there were no tears or even signs that she had shed any recently when she looked up at him.

"I found him," she told him. "That's why it took so long. He was at the same beach. He fucking tried to hit on me. He didn't remember me."

"Excuse me?" he said, stunned . "How did that happen?"

"I was walking down the beach checking the lifeguard stations to see if he was on duty. It's not that big a beach. I was heading back to the Jeep and almost walked right over him. He used the same fucking cheesy lines he used on me 5 fucking years ago. It took, like, 10 minutes for him to remember that he fucking knew me." Sookie said bitterly. "It's not like it was yesterday, but I didn't think I was that fucking forgetable."

Eric was speechless. Even having never met the guy, he really hoped he never ran into this particular jackass.

"To make a long story short, I told him about Alana and he freaked. He, naturally, questioned her paternity. He immediately said he couldn't care for her. I told him I didn't need his support in any sense, but I needed to know if he wanted to meet her. He said no." And at that, she felt the first tears. "And that's what gets me! He's fucking half of her, and he doesn't even want to know her. I am glad he's not in our lives, but shit! He fucking helped make her! He signed the forms, by the way." She pulled the forms out of her bag and handed them to him.

His lawyer training kicked in, and he flipped through the forms as she had done, making sure that every "t" was crossed and every "i" was dotted. He had personally drawn up these forms and they were loophole-free. He breathed a sigh of relief and helped her out of the car. She stepped out and he immediately wrapped his arms around her tightly. She went limp against him, savoring the feeling of being able to borrow his strength, at least temporarily.

"I was so worried..." he whispered into her hair, holding her even tighter.

"About me and Zander?" she asked incredulously. "To borrow what you've said to me, this is it, it's you and me. There are no regrets. The only thing Zander ever gave me was Alana. And I don't regret her for a second. I do regret that she has a shithead himbo for a father, but that's it. We can spend a few more days here in Mediterranean paradise, and head back home, and feel like we actually accomplished something. It's done."

She and Eric walked back into the cottage and laid on the deck by the pool, looking up at how clear the stars were on the mountain and the peaceful sound of crashing waves in the distance.

He pulled his lounge next to hers and nudged her legs with his knee to get her attention. She turned on her side to face him and he captured her mouth in a blistering kiss, pulling her tightly to him again. She was surprised, because he was usually slow and romantic with lovemaking, but this night, he was rough and animalistic, and she found that she liked this side of him. He rolled over so he was on top of her, kissing her hard and passionately. He untied the top of her sundress and pulled it down to expose her breasts, which he latched onto immediately. He reached under her dress to move her panties to the side and prepare her for him with his long fingers. She writhed and gasped from the intense sensations. He pulled down the board shorts he had been lounging in since that afternoon and entered her deeply. She cried out and bucked her hips up against his. He captured her mouth again and mimicked the motions of his cock with his tongue. Her orgasm came fast and hard as he rode her and she saw stars. He felt her clamp down on him and came bellowing her name.

After he fell to her side and kept her wrapped in his arms, she cuddled up against him. She knew, that love her as he may, he wanted to posses her tonight and "mark" her. She had absolutely no problem with that at all as she wanted to be marked as his, especially after the day that she had had. She knew that her heart and body were his for the taking anytime he wanted.

****A/N: **That was a little too easy, wasn't it? I don't think we've seen the last of Zander.** Please please please review. **It really and truly makes my day!


	25. Chapter 25

****A/N:** Wow, this was a hard chapter to write as a mom to 2 boys. But it had to be done. Not a lot to say here, but if you don't dig the angst I specialize it, you will probably not like this chapter. Charlaine Harris owns the characters, but they're picnicking in my park

**Chapter 25**

The rest of their week in Greece passed uneventfully. They went to some of the nicer beaches on Corfu, pointedly avoiding Kaminaki. The left for Athens a few days early, so Sookie took Alana and Eric to some of the ruins and told them the stories of the Greek Gods.

Eric overnighted the forms that Zander had signed to his office to be filed immediately. He had made numerous copies before shipping because FedEx, though reliable, was far from infallible. He didn't want _anything_ stopping this from going through.

When they got back to Louisiana, Eric realized there was another unpleasant task to do, but this one was his responsibility. After acclimating again to local time, Eric drove to Bon Temps to visit his mother.

The relationship between Eric and Sophie had been strained since she admitted her dislike and distrust of Sookie. She had known Eric was going to Greece with Sookie and Alana and hadn't liked it one little bit. Sophie had tried to bait him with barbs about Alana's paternity, but stopped when she saw they made him mad at _her_, not at Sookie.

He wanted his mom to see how Sookie had grown up since she had last seen her and to meet Alana. Nothing could feel complete until the three most important females in his life could accept each other. He and Sookie talked about another small cookout with his mom as the only guest. They discussed it one night after Alana went to bed and Sookie wasn't in love with the idea.

"Eric, you mom hates me! She's never liked me, even before I gave her a reason to. Never! And I don't care what she says about me or to me, but she and I are going to have it out if she's hateful or hurtful to Alana!"

"Mom would never be mean to a child! She needs to see how you have changed and actually meet Alana. All three of you are important to me. And until she accepts you and Alana as part of my life, she's bound and determined to make me miserable. For my own good, of course," he said, rolling his eyes. "Sook, Mom needs to get used to the fact that we're together and going to be for a long time. I don't know any other way then to get you guys together and let her see how different you are from the girl who... you were." he finished lamely.

Sookie knew what he had been about to say. "The girl who screwed you over so many times? The girl who broke your heart? The girl who was too fucked up to see what a prize of a man she had and tossed away? Honey, all of that is true. She has a reason to hate me. You do too," she reminded him. "Why did you decide to come back into my life? When I deserved you staying away from me for the rest of my life. Why did you even give me a second chance when I screwed everything up?"

"Sookie, do we really have to get into this now?" Eric asked, almost begging her not to.

"Baby, we _have_ to. You said it yourself. Your mom doesn't trust me, and she has plenty of reasons to not to. Tell me why you came back to me."

"Sook... damn, I don't know how to explain it. Pam actually did a really good job of explaining it to me. I gave you a big part of my heart when we were just kids. When you left, it felt like part of me had died. When you came back with Alana, I thought I would never forgive you. But it allowed me to move on like you kept telling me to do. I got out in the world, met other people, had other relationships. But I was never able to give my full self to those other women... because I had given you the biggest part and I never got it back. I didn't realize it until I saw you with Alcide. It didn't really sink in until I heard Jackson talking about his son proposing. I woke up something in me. I didn't want you with anyone else. No one else knows you like I do. No one I tried to be with could compare to you. They all had their admirable qualities but they weren't _you_." He paced the back deck for a few moments before returning to her. "Seeing you so calm, so at peace, so comfortable in your own skin... it was like a whole different light around you. You were the same Sookie I had loved before, but even better. I'm doing a really bad job of explaining it to you, but that's the best way I can explain it."

"Have you explained it that way to your mom?" Sookie asked quietly, moved by his explanation.

Eric shook his head. "She doesn't want to hear it. Whenever I try to tell her anything about our relationship, she walks away or changes the subject. It's really juvenile, actually, now that I think about it. She only hears what she wants to hear. That's why I want her to come over. I want her to _see_ you and see the changes in you."

"Eric, the last thing in the world that I want is to come between you and your mom. I know how close you are. If it comes down to a choice..," Sookie started.

"It's not. I won't let it," Eric swore determinedly.

**X.x.X.x.X.x**

Sophie arrived at Sookie's house the following Saturday in a foul mood. She had told Eric she would try, but she hadn't thought he'd make her be in the same room with the girl. She knew he just needed some time before he'd realize she was right and get away from her while the getting was good and he was able to leave in one piece, not the shattered shell he was last time.

Sookie greeted her at the door warmly and politely, but there was a glimmer of fear in her sky blue eyes. Sophie liked that. She was polite as well, but nothing close to warm. Eric already had the grill warming up and it was still early enough in the fall in Louisiana that eating outside could be pleasant since the bugs were mostly gone and the humidity had broken.

Sookie escorted Sophie to the deck to say hi to Eric while she went to get Alana. Sookie told her daughter that they had a very special guest for dinner tonight and to be on her very best behavior. Alana nodded. She knew how to behave when it was important and Sookie made sure she knew it was.

Sookie walked back out onto the deck holding Alana's hand. Alana had a child's natural shyness around strangers, and Sophie was no exception. She ducked her head into her mother's hip and let her hair fall over her face. Sookie knelt down and swept her daughter's hair back. "Alana, this is Eric's mom, Sophie Northman, but you should probably call her Ms, Northman. Ms. Northman, this is my daughter, Alana." Alana nodded and slowly held out her small hand.

Sophie hadn't expected this. She met the little hand with her own and gave it a small shake. Alana said, "It's very nice to meet you Ms. Northman," in her tiny voice. Eric beamed at her. Sookie rubbed her back. She knew that within half an hour, Alana would be her normal self again, but she always started out shy. That is, if the stranger was friendly.

Sookie took drink orders while Eric cooked and Alana set the table . She brought out 3 glasses of iced tea and a small glass of juice. She was so nervous, she could barely speak. Sophie was just so cold and kept staring at her. It was disconcerting. She brought out the salad she had made earlier and pulled twice baked potatoes out of the oven. Eric had taught her that recipe and she had found it easier then she had expected. Eric took the steaks off the grill in order of doneness. His own bloody rare one was first, Alana and Sophie both at just before medium, and Sookie at medium well. They sat down to eat, quiet and tense. Sookie leaned over and assisted Alana in cutting up her meat and Sophie frowned. She helped Alana refill her juice, and Sophie frowned. After Alana finished her comparably smaller meal, Sookie said she could watch some TV before bed, and Sophie frowned. Eric kept trying to make conversation, but it always stalled at Sophie, who didn't speak much, just ate and frowned.

When they finished eating, Sookie excused herself to put Alana to bed. Alana come out and said a polite good night to Ms. Northman, but gave Eric a huge hug and kissed his cheek before she was escorted upstairs.

As soon as the door was closed and they were out of earshot, Eric turned on his mother. "What the hell, Mom? Are you trying to piss me off? Sookie's making a real effort here and you just keep staring at her and frowning."

Sophie returned her son's glare. "I don't see a thing about her that's different. She's babying that child like her gran babied her. A child should know how to cut her own food and pour her own drink. And letting her watch TV unsupervised just isn't good parenting."

Eric took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Mom, Alana is _four_. It's not exactly safe to have her using a sharp knife yet. The juice bottle was nearly full and a little to heavy for her to handle. And Sookie has parental locks so that the only channels and programs that Alana can access have to meet a preset ratings criteria or she has to enter a password. Sookie is a _good_ mom, and you'd be able to acknowledge that if you weren't so prejudiced against her and bound to only see the worst."

Sophie huffed. "She's a beautiful child, I will give her that. Very polite and well mannered. Quiet and shy though."

"Well, maybe if you hadn't acted like a ogre and kept frowning at her, she might have opened up a little bit. She was scared."

"Nonsense," huffed Sophie. "She probably gets it from her father's side."

That was Eric's breaking point. "Damn it, Mom. Stop. We invited you here tonight for a nice dinner so you could meet Alana and get to know Sookie again. People can change and Sookie has. So have I. You know this. Just because Sookie had advantages neither of us had doesn't mean anything. She doesn't shuttle Alana off to daycare or hire a nanny to care for her child, she does it all herself. And do you know why we went to Greece, Mom?"

"She wanted a vacation that the Gulf Coast couldn't supply?" Sophie guessed nastily.

"She went to see if Alana's father wanted to know his daughter. He didn't. At least Andre provided some sort of support over the years and that's a hell of a lot more then Zander ever did. He didn't even want to meet Alana. He signed forms giving up any and all claim to her. If this relationship keeps going where I plan on it going, I'm adopting that little girl as my own. I already love her like she is," Eric said forcefully to his mother.

Her eyes widened and jaw dropped. "Eric, no..," she whispered.

"Yes, Mom. Sookie is the woman I was meant to be with. I love her and I love Alana. I told you, this was decided long ago and you can't change my mind about this. You are the only one not happy with how things are going in this relationship. You say you want me to be happy, then do everything in your power to make me miserable. Why would I keep someone who makes me feel bad in my life, Mom?" Eric asked stonily.

"Son, _she_ is going to be the one who makes you miserable. Now you don't just love her, but her child also? How much heartbreak can you take?"

"Sophie, I'm not going to break his heart again," Sookie said she she quietly opened the door to the desk. "I know I'm the last person you want to give a second chance to. I don't think that you ever gave me a first chance, though. You disliked me from the beginning. When I was a screwed up kid who didn't know anything more then if I loved someone, they left me. I didn't know enough to realize how Eric loved me back then. It took a lot of soul searching to learn that. I thought I had burned that bridge when I came home with Alana. But it wasn't burnt and Eric and I found our way back to each other. I love Eric. I am crazy in love with your son and I won't do to him what I did before. I can't. I don't have it in me to cause that kind of pain to someone I love like I love Eric."

"So now you're Miss Well Adjusted?" Sophie asked, her lip curling.

Sookie shrugged, "I'm certainly better then I was. You know there's nothing easy about raising a child, but we manage. I have wonderful little family with my brother, good friends who support me..," she looked at Eric and the adoration shone out of her eyes, "and the love of a wonderful man who I love in return. I have a support system that I never had before. I want to make a life with Eric, and I really do want you to be a part of the life, Sophie. But not if you're hurting him because you don't like me."

Sophie stood. "Eric, I think you're making a huge mistake. I've warned you and you won't listen. When she breaks you again, don't come to me." and walked to her car. She waited for Eric to follow her and ask her to reconsider. When he didn't appear, she took a deep breath and drove back to Bon Temps.

****A/N:** Well, looks like there was a choice made there. But Sophie made it pretty easy for Eric to choose, didn't she? I really didn't imagine her as the super-bitch she became when I started. Pretty please review. You guys are my compass as far as what I need to do and I'm kinda bummed that reviews have fallen off recently "Wipes the tears away and blows her nose* Pretty pretty please! I thrive on reviews! There's more happy-happy coming up in the not-too-distant future! I promise.


	26. Chapter 26

****A/N:** Okay, like I said, we're going to dwell in happy-happy land for a chapter or two. I left work feeling like crap today and when I got home, Sookie and Eric wouldn't let me rest. They are responsible for me not getting the sleep I so dearly need. But fear not, you know me. Even though angst, Zander, and Sophie are not seen, it doesn't mean they're not lurking in the background, plotting dastardly deeds (do I sound like an 1880's villain? Cuz I meant to). OH! I forgot! I wanted to review the recent timeline, because it's kinda important:

early May: Alana's birthday

mid July: Sookie's birthday

end of September-beginning of October: trip to Greece

mid October: dinner with Sophie

That about covers it. On with the story. Charlaine Harris owns them, but they're at **my** dinner party.

**Chapter 26**

Eric started screening his calls. He didn't want to deal with his mom after her scene at Sookie's house. He couldn't remember ever being as disappointed in her as he was then. He had wanted his mom to get over her issues with Sookie for more then just general peace, and she wasn't willing to let them go.

Since Sookie's birthday, he had slowly started spending more and more time at Sookie's house to the point where he might as well have filled out change of address forms. He had most of his clothes there and left for work from her house and returned there almost every evening. The thought of sleeping alone was unbearable for either of them, and Sookie had installed a little latch lock on the connecting door between her room and Alana's. She made sure that the latch was unlocked before they went to sleep each night, but it gave them a sense of privacy during moments they'd rather not be interrupted.

Halloween was coming up, and Alana wanted them all to go trick-or-treating as Greek gods and goddesses. She had fallen in love with the myths that Sookie had told her on their trip to Greece and had wanted them retold often. Sookie made some simple gowns and togas from patterns she found online and found little details at the craft store. Eric was a perfect Apollo, Sookie was Aphrodite, and Alana was a little Athena. Every door they appeared at loved the theme and Alana was more then pleased with her haul of candy. Sookie reminded her that it would be doled out for dessert, not to be eaten whenever she wanted. When Sookie looked over the amount of treats in the bag, she was pretty sure desserts would be covered into the new year.

They started planning for Thanksgiving. Since her house was the biggest and most convenient, Jason and Michele decided to come up and spend the weekend there; she had more then enough room. Amelia and Tray were already in Shreveport and Pam her her new girlfriend Dina accepted their invitations. Since Sookie was still in the realm of simple as far as her skills in the kitchen, Amelia and Michele were planning on doing most of the cooking. Jason, Eric, and Tray were looking forward to a big meal and lots of football and the kids just wanted to play.

Sookie woke up Thanksgiving morning cuddled up against Eric and nuzzled her chin against his chest. He mumbled incoherently and pulled her closer. She peeked at the clock on his nightstand and saw that Alana's wake-up call would come at any moment and hastily pulled on a t-shirt. Eric groaned at seeing his favorite toys being put away. After they curled back up, they were bombarded by Austin and Alana, with Lani toddling behind, giggling.

The kids were disappointed that they hadn't been able to wake up Sookie and Eric, but Sookie directed them down the hall to where Jason and Michele were sleeping. As soon as they left, she mimed relief that they had woken up before getting jumped on. Sookie went down to the kitchen to start breakfast for the kids and coffee for the adults. She had mastered pancakes and made silver dollar pancakes for all the kids. She sipped her coffee while the pancakes cooked. Jason joined her in the kitchen and started frying eggs and sausage for the grown-ups.

Sookie started feeling odd and her mouth watered in an unappetizing way. She spilled her coffee as she ran for the restroom. The little coffee she had had that morning and everything she'd had for dinner the night before came back up. When she was done, she sat on the floor confused. Then her eyes widened and she started counting.

She had noticed her bras feeling tighter and had assumed she was gaining weight because Eric was also cooking. She'd always had hips, butt and boobs, but a tiny waist. She realized that her waist was also slightly thicker. And her periods had never been what anyone would call regular. She shook her head, denying what she now realized was obvious. She remembered how she felt with Alana and knew there was no arguing it away. She walked slowly to her master bath and brushed her teeth, carefully since she was still nauseous. She pulled on some jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt and told Eric she had to run out to get some last minute supplies and she'd be back in a few minutes.

She drove a few miles to the nearest open store and bought a 2-pack of pregnancy tests. She also bought some stuffing and some cranberry sauce to make her cover story plausible. She put the tests in her purse and dropped off the food in the kitchen without breathing when she got back to the house. She went back to the bathroom and peed on the stick. She wasn't surprised to see the little "+" sign pop-up almost immediately. Counting back, she thought she knew when it happened. She wryly chuckled to herself. History repeats itself.

Amelia and Tray had arrived by the time she came downstairs. All the kids had gone to Alana's room to watch a movie and play games. Sookie tried to keep her head from spinning. Amelia was looking at her strangely and she knew it was on the tip of her friend's tongue to blurt out a question she wasn't ready to answer yet in front of anyone. She quickly grabbed Amelia's arm and pulled her out onto the deck. "Mia, whatever you're about to say or ask, just don't, okay?" Sookie said.

Amelia smirked. "I knew it," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked very proud of herself.

"How the hell did you know? I just found out this morning!" Sookie exclaimed quietly, not wanting to draw attention to their private pow-wow.

"Honey, I've been paying attention even if you haven't. I've seen the changes. So you haven't told Eric yet?" Amelia asked.

"I told you I just found out this morning. I wanted him to be the first to know, but I saw your face. I had to make sure you kept quiet. I know you can keep a secret, Mia, so _pleeeeeeeease_ don't say a word. I'm counting on you."

Amelia mimed zipping her lips shut. "I promise," she said and gave Sookie a big hug before they re-entered the kitchen.

When they entered, Pam and Dina had arrived also. Eric and Sookie worked on introductions since the two couples had never met Pam and everyone had to meet Dina. Sookie made sure to stay out of the kitchen while everyone was cooking, not knowing if her nausea would be triggered by anything. She had no desire to watch football with the guys or a movie with the kids. Seeing Pam and Dina sitting off to the side, not interested in either the kitchen or the game, she joined them.

"Well, Sookie, I'm glad to see that you finally got your head out of your ass," said Pam, blunt as usual.

"Well, Pam, I appreciate you bringing my boredom with Alcide to my attention. I never thanked you for butting in."

"No thanks necessary. Just consider me your fairy godmother who doesn't let you live in a dream world. When you need your head pulled out of the sand, I'll be there to do it," she said.

"Well... umm... thanks anyway. Who knows where I'd be if he'd actually gotten up the nerve to propose before you talked to me."

"You wouldn't have said yes. You were just biding your time, waiting until Eric was available. You know that now, right?"

"Uh-huh," Sookie said, nodding.

"So when are you going to tell him you're pregnant?"

"For fuck's sake, how did everyone know before me?" Sookie asked exasperatedly. "I planned on telling him later tonight, after dinner."

"Darling, you better tell him before that, because I'm looking at Amelia and she looks like she's about to blow."

Sookie peeked into the kitchen to see Amelia with a giddy little grin and giggling like a little girl every few moments. "Shit," Sookie muttered. She went to the living room and looked at the timer on the TV. Half-time was only a few minutes away. She leaned over Eric's shoulder and said, "Can you come for a little walk with me during half-time? I swear we'll be back before the third quarter."

"Sure," he said, kissing her on the cheek and turning his attention back to the screen. She paced around outside in the cool air until he came out to join her. They started walking down the block hand in hand while Sookie summoned her courage.

"So, what did you want to talk about away from the crowd at the house?" asked Eric, knowing her too well.

"Umm... I got sick this morning. Jason made sausage and eggs and the smell just hit me."

"Are you okay?" he asked, confused.

"Yeah. But I started thinking. Umm... so when I ran out to get stuffing and cranberry sauce, I picked up something else," she said staring at the ground as they walked.

'Okay, what else did you get?" Eric asked, trying to figure out where she was going.

"I got a test. Baby, I'm pregnant," she said, looking up at him through her lashes, wanting to see his reaction, but worried at the same time.

Eric froze mid-stride and swayed. "Did I miss something?" he asked quietly, shocked.

"What do you mean," she asked, because this had not been one of the reactions she had tried to prepare herself for.

"We always use protection. Am I missing something?"

"Well, we _almost_ always use protection. Can you think of even one exception?" she asked.

He was quiet while he thought. She could almost hear him going over all the times they'd made love in the past two months. She knew as soon as he thought of the one exception when he drew a sharp breath. "Greece," he whispered.

"The first night there, out by the pool," she confirmed.

"You're sure?" he asked.

"Well, the plus sign on the test convinced me, so yeah," she said. She stood in front of him and looked up at him. "You have to tell me what you think. I can't read minds. I'm dying here."

His face ran though a gamut of emotions: fear, anxiety, worry, before his face broke into the huge ear-to-ear smile that she was relieved to see. She picked her up in a huge hug and swung her around and kissed her hard. "We're having a baby!" he whispered excitedly in her ear.

They headed back to the house with his arm around her shoulders and her arm around his waist. Before going in, she said, "I'm not quite ready to tell everybody, but you should know... Amelia and Pam have already kind of figured it out and Amelia is going to blow if she doesn't tell someone. But I wanted you to be the first I told. So don't be surprised by sappy smiles from Amelia or snarky grins from Pam."

He shrugged, sporting a dazed sort of perma-grin. "I don't care. I really, honestly don't care. We're having a baby!" He hugged her to him and kissed her hard again.

She nudged him with her shoulder. "Everyone's going to know something's up if you keep grinning like a goof. Settle down before we go inside."

"Sweetheart, I couldn't stop smiling right now even if you punched me... and that's not an invitation to try," he said as she raised an eyebrow to the challenge. "You get to Amelia and I'll get to Pam and we'll tell them to zip it until the kids are out of the room after supper. I'm sure you want to wait a little before telling Alana she's going to be a big sister."

"Exactly," she breathed, relieved. "But since apparently only Jason and Michele are in the dark, we can tell them after we eat."

The house was filled with the smells of Thanksgiving and Sookie turned faintly green and excused herself. It was one thing to be in the house while the smells were gradual, but after being in the clean, fall air, the smells turned her stomach. Eric rejoined Jason and Tray on the couch to finish the game, looking like he'd been hit over the head with a rather big mallet.

After the large, sumptuous meal (of which Sookie ate very little), the kids were shuttled outside by Amelia and Tray to run out any energy they had before the Tryptophan from the turkey kicked in. Eric clasped her hand under the table as she looked at Jason and Michele. Pam watched her with a small grin.

"Umm, guys, I have some news for you," she started and Jason and Michele started laughing. "Oh for Christ's sake, not you too!"

"Sook, I've been through it twice. You getting sick when Jason started cooking this morning was a _big_ clue. You had no one around you with Alana to spot the signs. How far along were you with her before you figured it out?" Michele asked, still chuckling.

Sookie reddened. "Almost 4 months. And don't look at me like that! I know I was clueless and stupid for not seeing the signs. But I know them now, okay." She felt like a kid who failed sex-ed.

Jason went around the table and gave his sister a hug. "We can't wait to meet out little niece or nephew."

Amelia and Tray shepherded in five sweaty, exhausted children who were led to Alana's room to nap off the carbs and turkey. When they returned, Amelia plopped down in a chair and asked in a sing-song voice, "So... what did we miss?"

Sookie scowled, "The fact that everyone knew I was pregnant before I did. Way to kill a surprise, guys! Couldn't you even fake it?"

"Sorry, Sis, you have to admit that you looking so grave and serious about something we had all already figured out was funny. Couldn't help it," Jason said.

"Well, how about a real surprise... for almost everyone?" Eric asked and Jason smiled wider. Everyone else looked as clueless as she was sure she did. "I was planning to do this tonight even before we talked." He reached into his pocket and knelt to the floor. "Sookie Stackhouse, the woman I have loved since the age of seventeen, will you finally marry me?"

Sookie gasped and nodded frantically. He opened the jewel box and she saw her mother's engagement ring nestled in the velvet. The tears started flowing and she couldn't catch her breath. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod," she panted.

"I haven't heard an answer yet," chimed Pam, smiling from the end of the table.

"Yesyesyes!" Sookie gasped and Eric slip the ring onto her finger. She reached over him and kissed him to the general applause of their friends and family.

****A/N:** Yes, I'm a sap, but aren't I just so damn good at it? *pats self on the back* And the reason Jason smiled is he's the one who gave Eric the ring, since I just kind of alluded to it. Also, thank you thank you thank you for the massive amount of reviews on the last chapter. Made Ali super-duper-mega happy, to borrow a phrase from my oldest son. Please leave reviews, cuz I don't think Mama Sophie is gonna be to thrilled...


	27. Chapter 27

****A/N:** Well, here we go... the showdown between Eric and Sophie. You finally learn exactly _why_ Sophie has such a grudge against Sookie, and it's not all about Eric. She kept nudging my pencil at work demanding to have her say, so I couldn't help but oblige. If you called me for tech support, I apologize for being distracted, but she has a grating way about her. Sappy Ali got her turn, but I promised angst and Sophie were lurking, didn't I? Also, this is a short-ish chapter and I apologize. but, damn, 27 chapters in 28 days! I amaze myself! Charlaine Harris owns the characters, but I borrowed them and gift wrapped them to present them under my tree... so what if it's May and Christmas is 7 months away? Oh yeah, and I'm a little hyper tonight. Sorry.

**Chapter 27**

Sookie couldn't think of any way her current pregnancy could be any more different then her pregnancy with Alana. For one thing, she wasn't sulking on a tropical island. The amount of support she had was huge, for another. Jason, Michele, Amelia, and even Pam all checked in with her and Eric often. Sookie had found an OB/Gyn and had been able to confirm through ultrasound that, based on the size of the fetus, she had indeed conceived in Greece. Again.

She didn't have traditional morning sickness; she had 24-hour nausea. She stocked up on the few things she could eat and keep down. She would munch on animal crackers, watermelon chunks, and cherry tomatoes throughout the day. The one surprising thing that she loved was ramen noodles with salsa. Eric took over most of the dinner duties since so many smells turned her stomach. She was also extremely tired all the time. Fortunately, Amelia was more then happy to pitch in and help with Alana during the days so Sookie could nap.

Eric was amazed and fascinated by the changes in his fiancee and her body. He took care of her when she felt ill and covered some of the duties she usually covered. It was too soon for her to show, but he noticed the slight thickening of her waist. Her breasts, already large her her tiny frame, were fuller and very sensitive. He had to be very tender with her, which was good, because her body couldn't handle any kind of rough sex.

Eric's lease had run out and he and Sookie figured that he already basically lived at her house, so there was no reason for him to renew it. Amelia and Tray came over to help load up the tiny apartment. He kept his office equipment, but the other furniture from his living room and bedroom were donated to Goodwill. Sookie consolidated the two guest rooms and gave him a work space.

The decided to spend Christmas in Bon Temps with Jason and his family. Eric and Sookie told Alana their news by giving her a "Big Sister" shirt for Christmas and explained that she would have a little brother or sister that summer. She was very happy and hugged her mom and Eric and proudly wore the shirt all day.

After the kids went to bed, the adults sat in the living room and talked. Sookie and Eric had decided to hold off on making any wedding plans until after the baby had been born. Michele and Jason told amusing stories about Austin's preschool and how excited he was about starting "real" school in the fall.

Sookie had dozed off against Eric's shoulder and he carried her up to her room. He looked around after laying her in the bed and realized that the last time he had slept in this room, Sookie had given him her virginity. He shook his head with amazement at how far they had come.

After a lot of discussion, they decided that Sophie needed to know about the changes, so the next day, Eric went to see his mom. He told Sookie it would be best if he went by himself, because he didn't want to wear her out. The whole truth was that he didn't trust his mom and didn't want to subject Sookie to his mother's nastiness. He had never been blind to Sophie's faults, but he was no longer able to look past them and didn't want Sookie stressed.

He pulled into her driveway and wasn't surprised by the lack of seasonal decoration. That had always been something he had done for her, but he hadn't seen her since she stormed off in October.

His face was grim as he approached the door and knocked. Sophie took her time answering the door and smirked at his expression. "So you remembered you had a mother? Christmas was yesterday, Eric," she said coldly. She slowly opened the door wider to allow him to enter and turned to face him after closing the door. "So what's she done, now?" she asked bitterly.

"Stop it, Mom. I wanted to give you some news. My lease ended in November and I moved in with Sookie."

"Oh, for God's sake..." Sophie started.

"I'm not done. I proposed on Thanksgiving and Sookie said yes. We're getting married," he said calmly.

"Oh, shit," muttered Sophie

"I'm not done, Mom," Eric snapped. "We're having a baby. Sookie's due at the end of June."

"What the hell were you thinking? You weren't thinking, were you? For Christ's sake, you're tying your life to her's forever now!" Sophie yelled at him.

"Isn't think the point of marriage, Mom?" he replied calmly.

"Don't tell me you proposed because you knocked her up. Are you sure it's even yours?" she asked hatefully as her eyes narrowed.

Eric growled, "Stop. I'm warning you right now, if you want to keep me in your life as well as your grandchild-to-be, you will stop talking. I have tolerated your misguided dislike of Sookie for fifteen years. But you are now talking about my fiancee and the mother of _**my**_ unborn child. I'm not going to put up with it anymore. I love you, Mom, but I really don't like you a whole hell of a lot lately. You say you want to see me happy?" he asked. "Well, take a look, because I'm fucking ecstatic! I'm going to be a father to a child and a husband to a woman I've been in love with for almost half my life. I have _nothing_ but joy about the way my life is going... and you are trying to ruin it. Why are you holding on to this irrational hatred of Sookie?"

"Because, for some reason, she gets _everything_. We both had parents that died. She and her brother got taken care of by their rich grandmother and I got foster care. _She_ got college. _She_ got to buy a house. _She_ got to travel the world. _She_ got pregnant alone and was able to stay home and watch her child grow. And now, _she_ gets another Goddamn baby and she gets _you_. Why should she be so fucking fortunate when so many others get screwed over?" Sophie spat.

"Seriously, Mom? You're **jealous** of her?" Eric asked, amazed.

"Tell me why I shouldn't be. How is it fair for her to have the same life as me, but she gets the gold, and I get the shit. The only good thing in my life was you, and now she gets you on top of everything else in her life that she has and takes for granted. And after the piss poor way she's treated you, you went back to her! Why is she so special? Why does she get everything?" Sophie asked roughly, trying to keep what ever composure she had left.

"Mom, Sookie isn't trying to take me away from you. We love each other. She played the hand life dealt her, just like you had to. It's not her fault her circumstances were different from yours. You were so much stronger then she was. You had to be, and did what had to be done to make sure we stayed clothed, fed, and housed after Andre left. She did what she had to do when she left. She needed to find peace and she did. Yes, it broke my heart when she left the way she did, but I don't think we'd be where we are now if she hadn't," Eric explained. "If you would just give her a chance, you'd see how much she's changed. And I do want you in our lives, but not if you're going to be bitter and mean to Sookie for things she had no control over."

Sophie sighed and sat down and looked up at her son. "Eric, I _want_ to be happy for you. I really do. You deserve the very best that life can offer. And I'm sorry you don't agree with me, but I can't help feeling that you can do better than her. She may not have been able to help how she grew up, but she is completely responsible for how she acted as an adult. You may not remember how it was after she left the first time, but I do. I never want to see you broken like that again. _She_ did that to you and if she can do it once, she can do it again.

"Everything she's promising you, Andre promised to me. He said he'd marry me, said we'd be a family, said everything right, and left us like it was nothing. She's cut from the same cloth. And now you don't just love her and the kid you knocked her up with, but her other kid? What is going to do to you when she takes off again?" Sophie asked him.

"Mom, I don't know how many different ways I can tell you this. Sookie loves me. She wants to marry me. She wants to have my baby. She's happy. She's not going to leave again. Do you think I would put myself through that kind of hell again, because you're wrong, I remember it perfectly. Do you think I'd go through all of this if it was even a possibility? Is that the kind of faith you have in me? That I'm so blind that I would look past Sookie's faults and just see what I want to see? We spent two years rebuilding a friendship before even considering getting into a relationship. I had the same doubts you continue to have. But I got to know the new person she is now, and fell for her even more then I did before.

"I want you to know her like I do, but you can't look past, what, jealousy? What does that get you? Does that envy make you happy? Does it make her have any less or give you any more? Does it change the past? All Sookie does is take life as it comes at her and does what's best for her family. And we _are_ a family, Mom, her and Alana and me, and our baby coming. I want you in our family. Jason and Michele and their kids are part of it, because they can accept that the past is the past and can move on. Please, let go of this jealousy and anger at a girl that doesn't exist anymore. If you'd give her a real chance, you'd see the mature woman she is and love her like everyone else does." He stood and headed toward the door. "But if something doesn't change soon, you're going to lose everything. I don't like ultimatums, but you give me no choice. I love you, Mom, but I can't let your bitterness and jealousy and unhappiness in my life." He opened the door to leave but gave his mother one last thing to think about. "You need to decide if those feelings are going to be enough when everything else you care about is gone." He walked to his car, hoping that his mom could see where he was coming from and come to her senses.

****A/N:** I just realized, not once does Sophie say Sookie's name. It's always "her" or "she", but never says her name. Hmmm... wonder about that. I just noticed it while proofreading. I still don't have a beta, so any mistakes are all on me. Begging seemed to work last time, so please please please please review. Reviews make me very very happy and help me navigate the twisted little Sookieverse floating around in my head and you guys are my compass. Please please please. Yes, that is me begging. If necessary, I will resort to groveling, but please don't bring me that low.


	28. Chapter 28

****A/N:** Thank you all for being patient with me while my muse took some unapproved time off. If she weren't so damn useful, I'd fire her ass. This is a short chapter, but it covers about 6 months and change. Not really a whole lot to say. Just read and enjoy, with a hint of lemony zest. Charlaine Harris owns them, I'm just playing with them.

**Chapter 28**

Sookie was sad to hear why Sophie continued to hold a grudge against her, because there wasn't a single thing she could do about it. She wouldn't change a thing about how she had grown up, or how she's lived her life. She dealt with the consequences of what had happened around her to and the decisions she had made by doing what she felt she needed to do, and would continue to do so. That's just the way she was.

Almost like a miracle, between Christmas and New Years Day, her nausea went away and her energy returned. On New Year's Eve, the fairground for Shreveport was having a midnight fireworks show, so she and Eric rang in the New Year on their deck, wrapped in blankets, sipping sparkling cider, kissing under the stars and colorful explosions.

To Eric's pleased amazement, another "appetite" returned when Sookie entered her second trimester. She was able to restrain herself from jumping him when he came home from work, but just barely. They had become very creative, When Alana was at preschool, Sookie would call him and purr seductively. If he didn't have court or a meeting, he would come home for "lunch" and return to work a very relaxed and satisfied man

Sookie had taken a cue from Jason and Michele and enrolled Alana in a half-day preschool to prepare her for kindergarten. She was pleased with how well Alana was taking to the schedule. She got along well with other children. Sookie had always read to her; she knew her letters and how to sound out unfamiliar words. Like her cousin, she was excited to start school in the fall.

Alana was also excited that her mom was having a baby and the Eric was going to marry her. She knew that Eric wasn't her Daddy, but he acted like one, and that was enough for her. She couldn't imagine anyone would be as good a Daddy to her as Eric was.

Sookie and Eric talked about whether or not they wanted to find out the sex of their baby. Alana had been a surprise and they both felt that they had had enough surprises lately. At her 20-week sonogram, Eric held Sookie's hand and watched the grainy screen. The doctor pointed out the head, the heart, the limbs, and finally, told them that they were expecting a boy.

Amelia and Michele planned a baby shower, since Sookie hadn't had one for Alana. They had fun oohing and aahing over the gifts and playing silly baby-themed games.

Sookie's belly had been growing exponentially and wasn't happy to discover that complete strangers felt her bump was an unspoken invitation for them to put their hands on her. She warned Eric that the next person who touched her belly without her express permission would be beaten with their own arm after she ripped it off.

However, Eric was an exception to that rule. He could spend hours next to his fiancee rubbing cocoa butter on her belly, or resting his head on her bump, softly crooning to his son. The first time he felt their son kick was a tiny blow to his cheek and he looked down in awe. He rubbed the spot where the kick came from and felt another one. He kissed her belly and laughed when she said that her bump was getting more affection then she was. He remedied that accusation immediately.

Sookie was fully into maternity clothes but was only carrying about 15 extra pounds and it was all in her boobs and belly. She had lost a lot of weight when she was nauseous for 12 weeks straight, so much so that her doctor and Eric were worried. Once she got over the sickness, she ate like normal, but she was gaining on a deficit. She loved the maternity clothes and liked showing off her bump. She liked finding slinky little numbers that emphasized her pregnancy and watching Eric watch her. He made her feel incredibly sexy.

They had been discussing possible names for their son. Sookie made the suggestion of Hale. It was her gran's maiden name and she liked it as a tribute. Eric said it experimentally and laughed. Hale Northman. He loved it.

Sookie's cravings had become a source of amusement for her friends and family. Everyone would be eating something perfectly normal, like pizza, and she'd decide she needed strawberries in maple syrup. She wasn't pleased to be the butt of jokes, but as long as her cravings were indulged, she accepted it.

At the beginning of June, she went into full nesting mode. The furniture in the guest room went into storage and Alana's old baby furniture came out. She cleaned like a demon and made sure that everything was ready to bring a baby home. When every surface shined, she felt satisfied.

In the middle of June, Amelia offered to give Eric and Sookie a mini-holiday. She would take Alana for the weekend and give them their last "free" weekend for awhile. After Amelia left, Sookie and Eric just stood together in the silence holding each other. She looked up at him after a few moments with the special smile that was just for him and she knew he was thinking the same thing she was.

Pregnancy had forced them to adjust their sex life. Positions that used to work for them no longer did, although they were both enthusiastic about finding ways to cope. Eric knew that after the birth, he would be having a minimum of a six-week dry spell, so he wanted to take advantage of this time as much as possible. Sookie undressed and pulled Eric to her. She never felt self-conscious of her pregnant body because she knew that Eric still found her beautiful, and that was all that mattered. He let her undress him and savored her skin against his. They made out like teenagers, teasing, sucking and nibbling on each other. He laid her on the bed and kissed his way down her body and ran his tongue over her, tasting her. She moaned and gripped the sheets, writhing to get closer to his talented mouth. He felt her stiffen as she came with tiny little cries. She laid on her side and he slid behind her, entering her from behind, spooning her. He knew he couldn't stimulate her breasts because it could trigger labor, but he nuzzled and sucked on her neck while stroking her nub, helping her to another fantastic release, before having his own.

They curled up together, satisfied and sated, and slept deeply. Sookie was exhausted from never being able to get a full night of sleep and having her fiance's arms around her comforted her and apparently the baby as well, because he took some time out from kicking her bladder for a few hours. She woke to Eric smiling down at her. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down to her, and kissed him ferociously.

They spent the weekend much the way they spent her birthday weekend, relaxing together, napping when they wanted, making love when they wanted. She wasn't disappointed when Amelia brought Alana home, but she wished she could have more time with Eric alone. She knew it would be a long while before she would have that luxury again. She also knew that Alana needed some special time of her own, because soon she'd have a brother competing for time.

Sookie and Eric had both explained to her over and over that the baby would take a lot of their time, but it didn't mean that they loved her any less; just that she was a big girl who could take care of a lot of things that a baby depended on its mommy and daddy for. They treated her to a weekend where she got to pick everything. They went to the Sci-Port science museum and a couple of playgrounds. The let her pick everything from movies to meals. It was a special weekend entirely for her.

The end of June came and went and Sookie was in a foul mood. She knew that actual delivery on the due date was rare, but she'd always been an exception to just about every rule. She had been making weekly visits to her OB for the past month and each time she was no closer to labor. She begged to be induced, if just to get it over with, and the doctor agreed. They scheduled the day and time. Early that morning they took Alana to stay with Jason and Michele and left for the hospital.

Inducing her labor was initially painful, because her contractions were centered on her lower spine. The doctor also had to break her water because they couldn't give her an epidural until that had happened. The epidural was heaven, because she hadn't had one with Alana and remembered the pain of birth all to well once it was on her again. They added Pitocin to her IV to strengthen her contractions. Eric was pacing anxiously to the point where Sookie told him to either pace outside or sit down, because he was making her nervous. The maternity nurse checked and when she was fully dilated, the OB came in to deliver. Sookie was not allowing Eric "south of the border"; it was his job to hold her hand and help her focus while standing by her shoulders.

Forty-five minutes later, Hale Corbett Northman was brought into the world. Eric felt his heart would burst from the joy of seeing his son, screaming at the indignities he was being subjected to. He could immediately see Sookie's nose and his cleft chin in the tiny, wrinkled face. The baby was swaddled like a large burrito and presented to Sookie, who had tears of many kinds running down her cheeks. She wiped them away with one hand while cradling the baby in her other arm. After nuzzling the blond peach fuzz hair, she handed Hale to Eric, who had to sit for fear of dropping his son. His son. He would never get tired of that. He had never known the kind of love that was now flowing through him.

Jason and Michele brought Alana to the hospital that evening to meet her new little brother. She thought he was cute, but not very interesting. She returned home with them and Eric settled in on the sleeper sofa so generously provided by the hospital.

After Sookie and Hale had gone to sleep, he went into the hall to make a call. He was sorely disappointed in his mother. He had left the ball in her court and she had done nothing. But he was her son and he felt it was his duty to tell her that her grandson had been born.

Sophie answered the phone listlessly. She had never thought Eric would abandon her the way he had and had been in a deep depression for months. She listened to Eric tell her about Hale, said the appropriate congratulations and ended the call. She couldn't let herself get attached to the child when Sookie would just eventually take him away, like she did with everything else.

****A/N: **Like I said, I know it was short, but there's a lot of good stuff coming up. Yes, I know Zander hasn't reappeared yet, but that doesn't mean he won't. And thank you all _again_ for being patient with me while I sent angry messages to my muse on this story and hired a temp for _Angel Wings_. Why do I like messing with their personalities so much? Who knows, but apparently it works cuz you guys have given much love in the favorite/alert notices I get. Show me more love with reviews. Please please please please. I live on them. They really do make me write faster. Also, I know I keep saying this, but _if_ there is time without an update on either story, it is because RA is an evil bitch and making me do time in her painful claws.


	29. Chapter 29

****A/N: **Yes, my muse has been a bitch for the past two weeks, with all her unapproved time off. I was writing out her pink slip as she reappeared today. To be fair, if she hadn't left, I wouldn't have started "Angel Wings", so I'll forgive her this once. Hopefully, I'll be able to update both stories fairly consistently. This is a big chapter. I wanted to get a lot of stuff in, but I'm getting close to my bedtime and I still need to get paid by my real job, so I'm splitting it into two. Charlaine Harris owns 'em, I'm just taking all the supe stuff out and adding more all human angst.

**Chapter 29**

Sookie and Eric brought Hale home from the hospital. The next day, Jason and Michele brought Alana as well as some meals to help with the adjustment of having a newborn in the house.

Like Alana, Hale was an easy-going baby who slept through the night within two months. Alana was thrilled about starting "real" school and was very excited about supply shopping. She wanted to get everything in a "Tinkerbell" theme, from her backpack, to pencils, to notebooks. Sookie left Hale with Eric and treated Alana to an "Mom and Me" day.

Eric had taken to fatherhood as easily as he had to everything else that he attempted. At first, he was intimidated by the newborn's apparent fragility. He soon learned that babies are hardier than their small bodies appear. He was completely comfortable diapering, swaddling, and feeding. His son fascinated him.

Several months passed uneventfully. Sookie cried on Alana's first day of kindergarten. Eric and Pam celebrated the opening of their fifth and sixth group homes, expanding out of Shreveport into other areas of Louisiana. Eric and Sookie started planning their wedding.

They knew that it would be a small and intimate affair, but Sookie insisted on a few traditional details. She wanted the white dress. She wanted the bouquet. And she wanted Jason to give her away. They nixed the idea of a reception, because it would be silly for such a small wedding. But they did reserve a banquet room at Ralph and Kacoos for a post-ceremony celebration. Their guest list was tiny, less then fifteen people, but Sookie wanted to do things properly, as she was taught by her gran. She bought blank invitations at the craft store and used Eric's fancy-schmancy printer in his office to print off the necessary invitations. All five of them.

Their social circle was very small. Pam and her girlfriend Dina, Jason and Michele, Amelia and Tray, and all the kids were all the friends they needed. As a courtesy, they were inviting Eric's bosses, Jackson Herveaux and James Flood, and their spouses, but Eric didn't think they would accept. They knew that it would be a very small, family-oriented ceremony and wouldn't want to intrude. Through his work with the courts, Eric knew a judge that was happy to marry them.

They planned the ceremony for mid-April and there was one thing Sookie needed to do before she could enjoy the official joining of her life with Eric's.

One day, while Alana was at school and Eric was at work, Sookie packed up Hale and drove to Bon Temps. She bypassed the usual turns she took to get to Jason's house and drove across town to Sophie's house.

Hale was nine months old and had never met his grandmother. He was a most charming combination of his mother's and father's physical characteristics and personalities, but was more like Eric in Sookie's eyes. He had her blond hair, the color of ripe wheat, but his dad's electric blue eyes. His body was long and lean, already built like his father, but still had the little chubby rolls on his upper arms and thighs that babies should have. He had six teeth that he showed often, as he smiled all the time. He was a happy and easy-going baby, a product of the happy and easy-going family around him.

Sookie saw Sophie's car in her driveway, so she pulled in. She unbuckled Hale from his car seat and carried him on her hip to Sophie's door, trying to ignore the trepidation that was making her heart skip beats. She knocked on the peeling door and softly bounced Hale while she waited.

Wondering who would come to visit on her day off, Sophie opened the door and her eyes widened in shock. Her first instinct was to shut the door in Sookie's face until the saw the baby on her hip. With very few physical differences, she could have been holding Eric as a baby. Her breath caught and she struggled to find speech. "Sookie?"

"Hello, Sophie. I wanted to come and ask you a favor. I also wanted to let you meet Hale," Sookie said softly, still bouncing the baby lightly, but nervously.

Sophie opened the door wider and motioned with her hand that Sookie should come in. She closed the door behind them and blinked rapidly. She had not expected this from her son's fiancee and felt a grudging respect blossom. Sookie walked into the small living room, where she could put Hale down. He was pulling up and cruising, falling down on his diaper-padded bottom often. She sat on the same couch that she had cried herself to sleep on after her disastrous prom and straightened her spine as Sophie took a seat in a rocking chair. She only had eyes for the baby.

"Sophie, I know you're probably wondering why I came out here today," Sookie said, feeling like she sounded scripted. As it was, she had been rehearsing what she would say to Eric's mom through out her drive, and tried to relax. "You know Eric and I are getting married. We've set a date, and it would mean a lot to both of us if you would be there to celebrate with our friends and family. I want to mend fences."

Sophie was surprised. The respect was growing more. This girl knew her feelings about her and was asking for acceptance anyway. "Did Eric ask you to come?" she asked, trying for once to keep the nastiness out of her voice.

"Actually, he has no idea I'm here. I knew he would be against the idea after the way he's been treated for the past year and a half. But I know that you are _so_ important to him and it hurts him to not have you in his life. Not having you to celebrate Hale's little milestones, like a grandma should. He's hurting and I am asking you, no, _begging_ you, to put aside whatever grudge you have against me and tell Eric you would like to come to our wedding. Hale needs the only grandparent that can be part of his life. You don't have to like me, you don't even have to see me if you don't want to. But Eric needs you and Hale needs you," Sookie pleaded. She didn't need Sophie to be her best friend, but her soon-to-be husband was raised by his mom alone and she had helped make him the man that she had fallen in love with.

"I don't know, Sookie. We have had almost eighteen months of a strained relationship, if not out-and-out estrangement, because of _you_. How do I know that you have his best intentions at heart?" Sophie asked. While she started to respect the girl, she wasn't about to trust her anytime soon.

"Sophie, I know that I can't convince you of my intentions. I've been trying for years to get you to trust me, just a little. I know you're convinced that I'm a spoiled brat that has been given everything on a silver platter. Maybe I was. I was lucky. I won't apologize for the way I grew up, because I had no say in the matter, but I do know and appreciate that I was more fortunate than many. Would I have given back every bit of it to have grown up with my parents? In a heartbeat, but life doesn't work that way.

"I also know that you've convinced yourself that I'm going to leave Eric and break his heart again. I would hope that my coming here today can help dispel some of those convictions. I love your son with my whole heart. He is a part of me and has been for half my life. When I did what I did years ago, leaving him, I was still a child. I was an adult by law, but I didn't have the ability to deal with my life. Yes, I had money. Yes, I had my college degree. Yes, I had a house that was paid for. And yes, I had Eric and he was devoted to me entirely. But I didn't have the ability to trust anyone, least of all myself. At that time, all I knew was pain and I couldn't have made anyone happy.

"When I came home with Alana, I knew how much it would hurt him to see me with another man's child. But she's a part of me too and if it was meant to be between Eric and I, he would come to accept her. And he's done more than accept her, he loves her too. She has a place in his heart, the same as Hale. He has come to love her like she was his own and that in itself is a miracle." Sookie had to pause in her monologue to wipe the tears that had appeared on her cheeks. "And it's because he has such a big heart and the ability to love that I could never do to him what I did before. He's the man that you raised him to be."

Sophie was temporarily speechless. Eric had told her all of this before, but she had always believed he was blinded by the girl that had used him and played with him. She could hear the strength and conviction in Sookie's voice and her choices of words. Her doubts were becoming weaker. "Sookie, I really do want to believe you, if for nothing else so that I can relax in the knowledge that my son won't be hurt again. You weren't here to see the aftermath of what you leaving did to him. It's seared into my memory and I pray to God that you never have to see either of your children in that kind of pain. You all but destroyed him. I always wondered why you moved back to Shreveport when you came back, instead of starting life somewhere else. Somewhere where you wouldn't bring more pain into Eric's life."

"I wanted to come _home_. I had a relationship with my brother that I'd never been able to have before. I had a sister-in-law and a nephew that I loved. I wanted my daughter to have the family connections that I didn't. But I can't honestly say that was my sole motivation. I want... I _needed_ to be near Eric, even if he hated me. He knew me better than anyone and he was my touchstone. It took over two years for him to reach out to me and attempt to build a friendship again. In that time, I found another friend who is incredibly dear to me, but she could never know me like Eric. I wasn't going to intrude on his life until he wanted me to be a part of it, no matter how small a part he offered. It took another two years after that for us to have the courage to take our friendship to the next level. We set a lot of ground rules because we wanted to make sure that we weren't setting each other up for hurt again. Sophie, I love Eric in a way that I didn't think I was capable of and I want him with me always. And I want you in his life, and mine and our kids."

Hale was cruising around the coffee table, more interested in Sophie's cork coasters then the conversation that he didn't understand. He looked at the sad looking lady in the rocking chair and decided she needed a hug. He carefully let go of the table and took the few toddling steps towards his grandmother to hug her legs. Sookie laughed and covered her mouth and seeing her son take his first steps. Sophie started crying and picked him up to hug him close.

****A/N:** Like I said at first, don't consider this a "cliffie", because it will be continued very soon. I just need sleep. I know I kept you guys waiting an unacceptable two weeks for an update and I'm sorry. I hope those of you who were disappointed found "Angel Wings", another twisted, all-human take on our favorite couple. And as always, please please please review. I love hearing your thoughts on the directions I'm going with my stories and I _do_ use suggestions. I get happy in my heart when I see my phone blinking at me after I update.


	30. Chapter 30

****A/N:** So I was stuck at home today because I lost my freaking voice, so why not update. I overestimated myself. What was supposed to be 1 big chapter is now going to be 3, this being the second. Oh! And since the past few chapters have consolidated several months without documentation, here is a reminder of the ages as they are right now: Sookie-29 (30 in July) , Eric-33 (34 in November), Alana-5 (6 in May). Yes, I actually did the math. As always, Charlaine Harris owns them, blah-de-blah-de-blah...

**Chapter 30**

Sookie watched silently as Sophie's tears flowed, her arms tight around her grandson. She nuzzled Hale's blond hair with her cheek and peppered his forehead with little kisses. Sophie finally opened her eyes and looked at Sookie. "He's almost nine months old, right?" she asked.

"This Tuesday, right," Sookie responded, her voice shaky.

Hale was sitting comfortably on Sophie's lap, enjoying the slow bounce of her knee as she rocked. Sophie gave him another adoring look. "Eric started walking early, too. He barely crawled. As soon as he got forward momentum, he'd pull up on what ever he could."

"Sophie, this is why it's so important to have you back in our lives. No one else knows things like this about Eric. I know he would want to share Hale's big moments with you, just to reinforce how much they are alike. It would make him, and me, so happy if you would come to our wedding. I don't have any ill will towards you, Sophie. And I want you to get to know me and Alana better. I want you in our family."

Sophie looked at her with red rimmed eyes. Holding her grandson had made her feel emotions she hadn't realized she was capable of. For so long, she had known nothing but bitterness and disappointment. She liked the feeling of hope and acceptance. "Do you think he'll forgive me?" she asked.

Sookie gave her a small smile. "Come to dinner tonight. Be Grandma. Play with the kids. You and Eric can talk after he gets home from work or after the kids go to bed. Get everything out and be done with it."

They agreed to meet at six for dinner that evening at Sookie's house. As Sookie drove home, she replayed the morning in her head. It could have gone better, but it could definitely could have gone worse. For the most part, she felt good about everything, but the real issues were between Eric and Sophie. There was a lot of hurt on both sides of that relationship and it would take more then a dinner to get past it all.

She fed Hale and put him down for a nap when they got home. She tidied up the kitchen and living room while he slept. She checked her refrigerator and pantry to make sure she didn't have to go by the store before Alana got home from school. She had everything she needed to make a good, simple meal that everyone liked.

She met the bus when it dropped off her daughter and she looked through her backpack once they went into the house to check for any homework or forms that needed her signature. She put Hale in his play saucer and sat with Alana on the couch.

"Do you remember Ms. Northman, Eric's mom?" she asked, knowing that it had been over a year since that disastrous dinner.

"Not really, Mommy," Alana answered honestly.

"Well, Sweetie, she's coming for dinner with us tonight. I'm going to tell Eric when he gets home from work. I want you to remember your manners and be the polite little fairy that I know you are, okay?" she said. Alana liked being referred to as a fairy, since she wanted to live in Pixie Hollow when she grew up.

She nodded her head. "I can do that, Mommy. Can I go read now?"

Sookie excused her daughter to go up to her room. With nothing else to do for about an hour until Eric came home and she had to get dinner started, she started trying to find other chores she could do to occupy herself. She folded a fresh load of laundry and moved a load to the dryer and started another load in the washer. She unloaded the dishwasher and started reloading it again, anxiously keeping her eye on the clock.

She was nervous because she wasn't sure how Eric would take her meddling. He was so disappointed in his mom with how she acted after Sookie became a part of his life again. But everything Sookie had told Sophie earlier that day was completely accurate. She could tell he missed being able to express to the woman who raised him his fascination with his infant son. Sookie could recall the feeling from watching Alana at that age, but she had Jason. Not the same as a parent, but still family.

She heard the tumblers of the lock being turned and went to greet Eric at the front door. He greeted her with a hug and a kiss and went to pick Hale up out of his saucer and carried him up the stairs to play on the bed while he changed clothes. He peeked into Alana's room to greet her and Sookie followed him into the bedroom.

"How was your day?" he asked

"Umm... kind of interesting. Hale took his first steps today," she said, figuring that would be a good place to start.

"Well, Little Man! He's starting early!" Eric exclaimed with pride.

"Yeah... he walked to your mom," she said quietly, not knowing how he would react.

"He did what?" he asked, just as quietly.

"Okay, so I wanted to mend some fences, so I drove to Bon Temps this morning to talk to your mom and I brought Hale with me. We're getting married in two weeks and I wanted to meet her, on her turf, and invite her to the wedding and let her meet her grandson. We actually had a very good conversation and cleared up a lot of issues. And I kind of invited her to dinner tonight," Sookie said, very fast. "And speaking of which, I have to get started on dinner." She turned to head back down the stairs.

Eric turned her back around to face him. "Dinner can wait. You took our infant son to see my mother, who has been nothing but resentful and nasty to us since we got together. Who has been unable to swallow her pride for almost nine months to meet her grandson? Who never congratulated us on our engagement? Why would you do that?" he asked, his voice blending confusion and anger.

"Eric, I've never had bad feelings towards your mom, except for how she would make you feel. And I was the sole reason for that. I thought if I went to her, talked to her, and maybe explain my side of things in my own words, she would be able to get past some of her issues with me. And the fact that I had Hale with me, well, I think that's what got her to open the door for me in the first place," Sookie explained.

"And she actually accepted the invitation to dinner? She knows that we're all going to be here?" Eric asked, still a little amazed at Sookie's guts at taking on his mom.

"I told you, we had a really good conversation. There's still a lot of work that has to be done, but I took the first step and she's taking this one. I know that she wants to see you and spend some time with Hale, and maybe even Alana. She raised a wonderful man," Sookie said, pressing her palm lightly to his cheek, "and I don't want to be the reason that either of you lose that relationship. And I really do need to get dinner started. Do you want to take the baby down or should I?"

"Let him play. I'll be down in a minute," he said, looking at Hale playing with the blankets and pillows on the bed and smiling. "I'll grab Miss Bookworm on my way down too." He loved that Alana would pick books over TV if she had a choice and that was his special nickname for her.

By the time all three were on their way down the stairs, Sookie was putting the chicken and rice casserole in the oven and setting the timer. Sophie was set to be there at six, and the meal would be ready at six-thirty. Eric used the time before his mom showed up to talk to Alana about her day and catching snippets of the local news on in the background.

When there was a knock at the door just after six, Eric answered it. It looked to his as if his mom had aged ten years in the 16 months since he had last seen her. He realized that she would be turning fifty this year and had a hard time comprehending his mom at that age. She was biting her lip nervously. Sookie may have been able to let go of the anger, but as she pointed out, this was the woman who raised him, and that she was able to act that way to her child was not something Eric could forgive immediately. They no longer had the close relationship they once had.

Eric invited her in and Sookie greeted her warmly. She showed her into the living room where Hale and Alana were playing before dinner. Sophie said hello to Alana and shook her tiny hand. She also gave Hale a little kiss on his blond head and was rewarded with one of his many smiles. She asked Alana about her kindergarten class and played on the floor with her grandson.

Eric watched the interaction with disbelief. He couldn't believe that his mom had done such an about-face in a day. He didn't know of she was really making the effort she appeared to be or if it was a show for his benefit, since she knew he was watching.

Sookie called them all to dinner a few minutes later and put Hale in his high chair. She alternated between taking her own bites and feeding Hale. The conversation flowed easily between everyone except between Sophie and Eric. It was a reversal of the last meal they had shared. He was uneasy and uncomfortable around his mom. He didn't trust her anymore.

After dinner was finished, Sookie took the kids upstairs for baths and bedtime, giving Eric and Sophie time alone. He started loading the dishwasher and accepted Sophie's help in bringing the plates from the opposite side of the kitchen. After the chore was completed and the table wiped off, he led his mom out to the deck, where the spring evening was very pleasant.

"Mom, I need to know what's going on here. Why the sudden decision to try to be part of our life? I've been asking you for that for a year and a half. You won't do it for me, but you'll do it for Sookie, a girl you admittedly can't stand?"

"Sookie came to see me today with the baby. We talked about a lot of the issues that concerned me. And the fact that she was willing to give me a chance, a chance to have a relationship with my grandson and to repair my relationship with you... it made me rethink a lot of my opinions of her. I know that I'm not the most approachable woman, especially when my mama-bear comes out. Sookie invited me to the wedding. I would love to be there, if you want me."

Eric considered hard. "Mom, everyone that's going to be there has supported us from the get-go. They were there and congratulated us on the pregnancy. They helped me move my furniture from the apartment to here when I moved in. Jason helped me get the engagement ring that was his mom's so I could propose to Sookie and I proposed in front of everyone who will be at the wedding. God knows I would love to have you with us, but how do I know this isn't just a show?"

"Eric, I have no way to prove that to you except over time. Please give me a chance," she asked, pleading.

Eric leaned back and closed his eyes, running his hand through his hair. "Mom, we will try this out on a probationary period. If you can prove that you want not just Hale and me in your life, but Sookie and Alana too, we can work on this. But we're a family; a package deal. Don't even start this if you can't accept that single condition."

Sophie could easily agree to that. Knowing that this was pretty much a done deal, she had no choice. If accepting Sookie and her daughter was what it took for her to have a relationship with her son and grandson, she'd sign a contract in her own blood if necessary. She told Eric so, and though her phrasing left something to be desired, he extended the same invitation that Sookie had and gave his mom the details, the when and where. He knew that she was making a big effort, and he _did_ appreciate that. He gave her a light hug and led her in to say goodnight to the kids before heading back home. She gave each child a hug and kiss, and even gave Sookie a small hug before leaving. Eric hoped that he was overestimating his mother, hoping that she knew if she screwed up, the damage would be irreparable.

****A/N:** So, I thought Eric handled a surprise visit by his mom extremely well, but he's a pretty mellow guy in my world and it takes a whole lot to set him off. Is Sophie going to honor her promise to Eric? If my muse wants to keep her freaking job, the next chapter will be the wedding, which I have been trying to get to for the past 4 or 5 chapters, cuz I just _love_ weddings. Planning my own 9 years ago wasn't enough, so I get to do another one, even if it is fictional. Best part, it's free! Please review. I'm almost to 300 and that amazes me. Please keep amazing me and make my phone blink at me when I wake up. Truly is the best part of my mornings!


	31. Chapter 31

****A/N:** Well, Happy Birthday to me! A sick Ali with a sick baby doesn't make for easy updating, so I apologize for the short-ish chapter, although it is part three of a very very very long chapter I started earlier this week. Please forgive mistakes: no beta and foggy decongestant-head. Enjoy. Charlaine Harris created them, but I'm making 'em do what _**I**_ want them to.

**Chapter 31**

Sookie stood in her old room at Jason's house and tried to eat a little of the chicken salad sandwich that Michele left for her. She had been too nervous to eat much of anything since waking up that morning and her stomach was making hungry rumblings, but felt so full of angry butterflies, that she wasn't sure that anything she tried to eat would stay down.

She and Eric had decided to adhere to the tradition of spending the night of the wedding apart and he not seeing her until she walked down the aisle. Jason had picked her and the kids up after dinner the night before. It made the most sense, since they would marry next to the pond behind his house. Some of her better memories from childhood had been there, and she and Eric had many happy memories of their own, from his breaks at Tulane and their summers off together while in college.

Jason had been honored by her request that he give her away. He had changed so much from the girl-crazed ass-hound that he had been in high school that he was barely recognizable. He loved his little sister and adored her children. As far as he was concerned, she couldn't pick a better man to join her life with than Eric. He had proven himself in Jason's overprotective older brother's eyes.

She walked around the room, taking tiny bites and waiting several minutes between them to make sure they settled. Her life had undergone so many changes in the years since she had moved out when she bought her current home at the age of twenty. She had broken her best friend's heart, given birth to her daughter, grew into a mature woman able to handle what life threw at her, fell in love for the first time, given birth to her son by that same man whose heart she had broken so many years earlier and was now getting ready to marry him. Not many women were as fortunate as her, and she knew it well.

Her cell phone played her ringtone for Eric (Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck {Without You}") and she ran to answer. Although they weren't allowed to see each other yet, there were no rules about talking. "I miss you, baby," she cooed into the phone.

He laughed. "Only a little while longer, lover," he responded in his seductive baritone. It gave her shivers down her spine.

"I'm so glad you called. I can't remember the last time I slept without you next to me. I tossed and turned all night."

"Never again, if I can help it," her replied.

"I should probably start getting ready. Amelia just came in and is pointing to her watch in a very bossy way," she said, laughing at her friend's expression.

"I'll be seeing you. I love you."

"I love you too, baby."

She hit the "end call" button on her phone and tossed it towards her purse, missing horribly. Amelia strode to where it landed on the floor and put it in the correct pocket, then turned back to Sookie. "I only have about 45 minutes to get you stunning and dressed. Please respect the timeline that you've given me." Sookie knew that Amelia could her her hair and makeup better than she herself could, what with her shaking hands and all. She had no intention of going down the aisle looking like a clown.

Sookie sat at her old vanity dresser and let Amelia do her job. She brushed, curled, and manipulated her long thick hair into a cascade of waves tumbling down her neck and back from a knot at the crown of her head. She didn't do a lot with makeup; Sookie rarely wore any and honestly looked better without it. Just a little eye makeup and lipstick. She was flushed with anticipation, negating the need for any blush.

Sookie pulled the huge garment bag from the closet and unzipped it. She had searched and searched for a dress that met her qualifications: no poofs, no ribbons, no bows, just very simple, but glamorous. After searching store after store in Shreveport and finding nothing, she found a picture of the dress she wanted. After calling around, she found a seamstress who she felt could do justice to the design she wanted and ordered the custom dress. When it was complete, she knew that she had gone in the right direction, rather than settling for something off the rack. Her dress was perfect for the simple, low-key wedding.

As Amelia was finishing the buttons going up, Michele came in carrying Hale and her breath caught. The last time she had seen Sookie so dressed up and glamorous was at her own wedding, where she had been a bridesmaid. Eric had been her date to that wedding eight years ago and now (_finally_) she was marrying him. Sookie had become a real sister to Michele, despite their luke-warm acceptance of each other when she had started dating Jason.

Eric pulled into the driveway of Jason's house with a garment bag of his own. They had decided that a tux for him wasn't needed, but a suit would work. He went to one of the guest rooms, escorted by Jason who was talking a nervous blue streak. He changed into a dark charcoal gray suit and a snowy white shirt. He finished everything off with a royal blue tie. His mom walked in with a handkerchief in her hand.

"You look so handsome, Eric! Sookie is a lucky woman," she said, with none of the attitude he had gotten used to when his mother said her name.

"Thank you for coming today," he told her honestly. She had proven herself over the past couple of weeks, as much as she could prove herself in sixteen days. "Have you been to see Sookie or the kids?"

"Not yet. I wanted to see you first and thank you for letting me share this day with you. I would never of forgiven myself if this day had come and passed without me being here to give you this," she said and opened her pocketbook. "I don't have a lot of things from my parents, but I have these." She pulled out two bands, one more slender then the other. "I have kept their wedding bands with me since they died. I know you and Sookie have probably picked out your own bands, but I want you to have these. If anything, you can pass them on to one of the kids, but they should be yours now."

He looked at the glittering bands, some sort of white gold or platinum, and felt moved. His mother couldn't have given him anything more meaningful and he hugged her small frame. "Thank you," he whispered.

Sophie left the room and hunted down Jason, who took her to the kids. Alana was dressed in a light pink sundress and Hale was in a little gray suit, almost the same color as his dad's. She hugged both children and told them she would see them outside, that she had just wanted to say hi. Then she went in search of Sookie.

Sookie was dressed and wearing a path in the floor pacing. She knew that she would be walking to meet Eric any time now and she just wanted to get there. Pam entered, followed by Sophie. Both cool-as-ice women choked up seeing Sookie in her full bridal glory. Pam handed Sookie the bouquet of fire and ice roses that she had ordered her herself and that Pam had volunteered to pick up that morning. Sophie gave her a small hug, said good luck, and left with Pam and Amelia to walk to the pond.

Chairs and an alter had been set up the night before. Eric and Sookie had agreed to splurge on a photographer, simply so they could look at the memories of this day for years. He met Judge Melesco in the driveway and led him to the alter by the water. Michele walked down the aisle carrying Hale and Amelia walked down holding Alana's hand. Tray, Luke, Grace, Pam, Dina, and Sophie took their seats as well.

Jason went to get Sookie and his breath caught at seeing her. He had never seen his little sister look so beautiful. She was glowing. "Are you ready for this, Sook?"

"Couldn't be more ready. Let's do this thing," she said, making him laugh.

She had to take her time on the steps, because long dresses, heels, and stairs are just not friends with each other. She lifted her skirt walking across the grass, and didn't lower it until she got to the lined path leading to where she would meet her soon-to-be-husband. Pam hit play on the little CD player beside her and the opening to "Ode To Joy" started. Sookie took Jason's elbow and they turned to corner out of the woods to the aisle.

Eric had only been stuck speechless like he was now one other time in his life, and that was when his son was born. He could add another moment to that list: seeing the woman he had loved for over sixteen years walking towards him in that amazing white dress with the biggest smile her face was capable of. Judge Melesco asked who gave this woman in marriage. Jason answered and took his seat next to his wife after giving Sookie's hand to Eric.

The judge started the ceremony traditionally, but Eric and Sookie had written their own vows. Eric began. "Sookie, I join my life to yours, not merely as your husband, but as your friend, your lover, and your confidant. Let me be the shoulder you lean on, the rock on which you rest, the companion of your life. With you I will walk my path from this day forward. I love you."

Sookie had to take a moment to collect herself and was glad she had tucked a handkerchief into the ribbon holding her bouquet. She took a deep breath after dabbing her eyes. "Eric, I choose you as my best friend, my love for life. I promise you my deepest love, my fullest devotion, my tenderest care, through the pressures of the present and the uncertainties of the future, I promise to be faithful to you. I promise to love you, to commit to you, and support you. I pledge to lend you strength for all of your dreams. You have shown me what love feels like and for that I thank you. You are everything I need and at this moment I know all of my prayers have been answered and that all of my dreams have come true. As I have given you my hand to hold, I give you my life to keep."

At that point, the judge gave them the traditional vows, each promising to stay with the other through good times and bad, for richer or poorer, through sickness and health. They exchanged the bands and when the judge, by the power given to him by the State of Louisiana, pronounced them husband and wife, they kiss was tender, but passionate. The small number of guests cheered when they were introduced for the first time as Eric and Sookie Northman.

**X..x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.**

Eric and Sookie took a limo to their small reception in Shreveport at Ralph and Kacoos. The banquet room was the perfect size for their small party. Everyone ordered their meals and while they were waiting, Sookie and Eric had a first dance as husband and wife to Etta James. They murmured about their honeymoon in Australia as they swayed to "At Last". Jason and Michele would keep the kids while they were gone, but they wouldn't be leaving until Mid-June, after school let out.

As their dance finished and they sat with their friends and family, a calm descended over both Eric and Sookie. They were finally where they were meant to be, as they were meant to be, and would always be.

****A/N:** If you couldn't tell, I'm pretty close to ending this, with an epilogue coming up. I know I said Zander might show up again, but let's face it, who really wants him? I was rereading some of the reviews from the earlier chapters and I have to ask: Did anyone who was really really mad at me stick it out to get to the HEA? During the middle there, a LOT of the reviews were mad at me and didn't see the HEA ever being realistic. I want to know how I did. **Please please please review**. As I'm so close to ending this, please give me any suggestions where you see this little family down the road. I always appreciate reviews and they help me immensely. Also, check my profile websites as to Sookie's dress and bouquet. I love you guys! **Please review**.


	32. Epilogue

****A/N: HOLY SHIT, SHE ACTUALLY WROTE IT! Yes, it took me a month and a half to get this done, and what a feeling it is. First and foremost, I want to thank Storiesforevy for being my beta, pre-reading, proof-reading, and encouraging me. I love ya hon! Also, thank you SO much to everyone who read this thru to the very end, despite the angst ridden middle. And I am going on EPIC length here, but there's a lot these two have been though and it needed to be wrapped up concisely. On with the show. For the last time on this little ditty... Charlaine Harris owns them, I'm just giving them the happy ending they deserve.**

"Mo-oom," Alana whined, drawing the word out as only a frustrated sixteen-year old can, "I wanted to go out with Austin tonight! He's having a party at the pond and I haven't hung out with him in so long."

Sookie narrowed her gaze at her oldest daughter. "You knew full well that your dad and I were going out tonight and you would have to babysit. Hale isn't old enough to watch Sara and Andrew alone. Besides, I know for a fact that neither Jason nor Michele will be chaperoning that party because they will be with us. Sorry, but the final answer is no."

Alana huffed and stomped her foot like the teenager she was before storming off and slamming her door. Sookie winced, wiped her hand over her eyes, and went to collect the twin five-year olds that had been woken up from their naps early by their pouting older sister's temper tantrum.

Sookie smiled at the sleepy towheads that shuffled into the hall shortly after the door had slammed. "Mommy, why's Sissy being so loud?" Sara asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"She's staying with you guys tonight while Daddy and I go out with Uncle Jay and Aunt Shell. She forgot and made other plans and is in a bad mood about it," Sookie explained, ruffling the blond heads as they headed for the kitchen for a snack.

She paused by another door and knocked. A shaggy blond head popped out, paying attention to the game console in his hands. "Yeah?" he asked.

At eleven, Hale was only two inches shorter than his mom, still taking after his dad. Sookie ruffled his head as well, trying to get his eyes off the touch screen. "I'm making a snack for the twins. You want?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm good, he responded, turning to retreat into his room.

Sookie grabbed his arm. "Come be sociable anyway. I don't see those baby blues of yours enough anymore."

**X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.**

Sookie and Eric had been though a lot of changes in the more than ten years that they had been married. As promised, Eric filed the paperwork to formally adopt Alana after he and Sookie returned from their honeymoon in Australia. What they hadn't expected was hearing from her biological father before the adoption went through.

As party to the original paperwork of the separation of parental rights, he received copies of the filed forms. The forms included her address, the converted duplex. When he received the adoption paperwork, Zander underwent a change of heart.

Sookie had taken Hale and Alana to Amelia's house so they could play with her twins and so that she herself could have some grown-up time. When she got home, she found an unfamiliar car with rental plates in her parking lot and a familiar figure sitting in the rocking chair on her porch. Her eyes widened in surprise and fear.

Holding a finger up to him in a motion to wait, she got Alana and Hale out of the car and ushered them into the house. She put Hale in his play saucer and started "Mulan" for Alana. She took a few deep, calming breaths before returning to the porch.

She walked out and glared at the unwelcome figure rising to his feet. "What the fuck are you doing here, Zander?"

His brow wrinkled in irritation at her lack of courtesy and gazed in the window looking into the living room. "Is that my _koritsaki_?" he asked.

Sookie remembered bits of Greek from the 3 months she lived there and that particular word as one of his stupid pet names for her when they were together and felt irritation. "No, that is _my_ little girl. You gave up the right to call her yours two years ago. So I repeat, what the fuck are you doing here?"

He huffed a sigh, not used to being forced to explain himself. "My parents wanted to know why I was being notified of an adoption. So I told them about you... and her. They were... um... pissed, but they want to meet their granddaughter. I want to know my daughter."

"Well you should have thought about that when you had the fucking chance. Eric is her father in every sense of the word that means anything. As soon as the adoption goes through, he will be in name as well," she said, trying to control the steadiness and volume of her voice. "You denied her. You signed all your rights to her away," she hissed. "You were nothing but a fucking sperm donor."

His almost black eyes glinted maliciously as he looked over her house and the Audi she had pulled up in. "Looks like you and the _syzygo_ are doing well," he said, starting to grin.

Sookie looked confused, not understanding where he was going with the sudden change of topic. "What do you mean?"

"This is a nice house. That is a nice car. You had a very nice villa when you stayed in Greece. I would assume you are wealthy, no? I could leave you alone... for a price."

A red haze started to fill her vision in a way it hadn't in a long time. "You want me to pay you off? Why the fuck would I do that? You already gave her up!"

"You can't stop me from contacting her, telling her about how she was conceived. Letting her know that her _mama_ was such a _tsoula_ as to have unprotected sex with a man she barely knew," he revealed, his grin now greedy.

Sookie's mouth opened and closed soundlessly. The red haze still clouded her vision as her pulse pounded in her ears. She was blind and deaf to the car that parked next to hers.

Eric exited his car to see his wife staring furiously at the stranger on their porch. "Sookie, who's this?" he asked as he came to stand next to her and to tower over the unknown visitor that was obviously upsetting her.

"This," she answered in a choked voice, "is Zander."

Eric's normally warm blue eyes glazed with ice, wiping the cockiness from the smaller man's face. "And why is he here?" he asked tightly.

"He got notice of the adoption and suddenly decided he wanted to meet Alana. When I told him that he gave up that chance two years ago, he said that he would contact her and tell her what a slut I was when I was in Greece if I didn't pay him off," she spat furiously.

Eric's eyes narrowed viciously, never looking away from Zander. "He did, did he? And what was your response?"

Sookie kept her former lover in her gaze as well. "You pulled up in time to hear it. I was about to tell him to fuck himself and to get the fuck off our property."

Zander flinched at the cold smiles on their faces and struggled to maintain is malicious expression. "I'll contest the adoption..," he started.

Eric stepped forward. "You have no grounds. You don't know Alana. You refused to meet her when the chance was offered to you. You have never supported her, financially or otherwise. You are a single lifeguard in a foreign country who still lives with his parents. And you signed away all rights to call her yours in Greece. You would be laughed out of any courtroom. And if you make any attempt to contact _my_ daughter to slander the morals of her mother, I will personally return to that godforsaken island and make you wish that you had never been born." He sneered down at the shorter man. "You don't want to test me on that."

Zander swallowed nervously, intimidated by the larger man standing across from him. "You can't stop me," he said, making a pitiful chance at pulling off bravado and failing.

Eric's face broke into a gleeful, dangerous smile. "Oh, but I can. In _so_ many ways. Most legal...others, not so much. But like I said, you really don't want to test me on this. It would be in your best interest to leave. Now."

Zander sauntered off the porch and, with one last furious look at the couple on the porch, started his rental car and pulled out.

Sookie sagged against Eric when the car was out of sight. He wrapped his arms around her reassuringly. They went inside and pretended they weren't freaked out until the kids were in bed.

Once the bedroom doors were closed, Sookie sank onto the couch in furious tears. "Why the fuck did he show up here? Why did he decide that he wants to meet her _now_? Is he like a child not wanting a toy until someone else wants to play with it?"

"Sadly, love," Eric said, sitting next to her and pulling her into his side, "I'm afraid that's _exactly_ what it's like. He got influenced by his parents to come meet her and now that someone else wants to be Alana's father, he's jealous. I don't think he actually gives a damn about her or what's best for her. Otherwise, he would have stayed away."

The adoption went off without a hitch and Alana's last name legally became Northman. She didn't really understand all the fuss over it, because as far as she was concerned, Eric had already been her Daddy.

In a pathetic attempt to live up to his threat to contact Alana, Zander wrote a single, venom-filled letter. He apparently didn't realize that a six-year old wouldn't have unregulated access to the mail. Sookie read it, saved it to show Eric, who scanned it into his computer for a file he was preparing for possible harassment charges before shredding it.

**X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.**

Sophie had been a huge help after the wedding. While Sookie and Eric were on their honeymoon, she helped Jason and Michele with watching the children. She finally seemed to accept that Sookie was no longer a self-destructive child and saw the many ways that she made Eric happy. She came to accept Alana as her grandchild, the same as Hale, and spoiled them both as best as she could.

Shortly after the adoption went through, Sophie tentatively introduced them to Harley Delahoussaye, the first man Eric could remember in his mother's life beside himself. They had been quietly seeing each other for several weeks and Sophie wanted to introduce him to her family. Eric and Sookie held another cookout that went much better than the previous one to meet the new man in Sophie's life.

He was in his mid-fifties and had the well-muscled build of doing hard work his whole life. He had a farm and worked his own land. His hair was burnished gold going gray and his milk-chocolate eyes held nothing but adoration for Sophie. He was a widower who had no children of his own and in short order, became a surrogate grandfather to Hale and Alana. Sophie blossomed with him and the blindest person would have been able to see her face alight with happiness.

Two years later, they married in a small courthouse ceremony with Sookie and Eric as their witnesses. Sophie finally moved out of the depressing duplex that she had lived in for so long and moved into Harley's farmhouse. It was old, as the house had been in his family for several generations, but well cared for and comfortable. Sophie had finally found light in her life and was truly happy.

As a gift, she offered to keep the children for a week so Sookie and Eric could take a vacation to Galveston to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. They rented a house on the coast and although it was too cold in mid-April to play in the water on the Gulf, they spent time taking leisurely walks on the beach and lying out in the spring sun.

One thing that had not changed about their relationship was their desire for each other. A single look or touch could have them running into the house or, a few times, to a secluded area in the dunes if the house was too far to get to quickly. They knew each other's responses and triggers well and used them to their advantage.

One afternoon, Sookie took a blanket and a picnic basket out to the beach. She and Eric ate simple sandwiches and sipped a local wine that she had discovered and loved. They sat and smelled the salt air and listened to the pounding surf, cuddled together in the cool breeze off the ocean. Eric looked at his wife, her eyes closed against the spray from the waves and her long hair blowing in the breeze behind her and had never felt more in love with her than he did then .

He picked up the blanket and took Sookie's hand, leading her to an isolated spot in the dunes nearby. He spread out the blanket and crooked his finger for her to join him. He kissed her, softly at first and more passionately as their arousal grew. He slipped the straps of her sundress off her shoulders and kissed his way down her neck to the skin he had just bared. Her fingers tangled in his hair, holding him to her while his mouth made her breathing erratic.

He slid the bodice of the dress down her body, bearing her breasts. His mouth eagerly suckled and nipped at them, savoring the taste of Sookie's skin coated in saline from the sea air. She pulled at his shirt, and he left her skin only long enough to peel the shirt off his body.

He laid her back on the blanket and completely removed her dress and ran his fingers over the soft skin of her abdomen and down her silky smooth legs. He chuckled softly at the way her body responded to his teasing, her hips pushing into his to get the friction she desired.

Never one to deny his wife something she so desperately wanted, he slowly removed her tiny boyshorts and lowered his mouth to her hot core. His tongue slid though her folds and she cried out. His fingers entered her and her could already feel her pulsing around him. His tongue concentrated on her bundle of nerves and when he added suction to the tiny circles he was drawing, she got tighter around him. When he stroked that special spot inside of her, she called out his name as she saw stars of pleasure.

As she was coming down, he removed his pants and boxers and entered her slowly. She raised her hips for him to go deeper and he obliged. She pulled his head down to hers to kiss her as he kept his thrusts maddeningly slow. Her heels dug into his ass as her nails ran down his back.

"Please, baby. I want you to go faster," Sookie panted in his ear.

He pulled out and had her get on her hands and knees before he entered her again, this time hard and fast. He gripped her hips and pounded into her, determined to have her come once more before he had his release. He could tell she was close and at this pace, he knew he wouldn't last much longer. He reached under her and rubbed circles over her clit and felt her walls clutch down on him as she cried out again, pulling his own orgasm with her own.

They laid in the dunes a while longer wrapped around each other inside the blanket, savoring the little bit of alone time that they had been given.

While celebrating Alana's tenth birthday at a roller rink in Shreveport, Sookie felt nauseous and, after emptying her stomach's contents, starting laughing hysterically. She pulled Eric aside during the party and told him her suspicions, he was excited as well. After the children went to bed that night, she bought a pregnancy test and was not surprised to get a positive result.

When she went back to her OB/GYN and they did a sonogram to determine her due date, Sookie and Eric were both surprised to discover there were two babies coming instead of one. At a later sonogram, it was determined that they were having both a boy and a girl.

Hale was not quite six yet, but both he and Alana felt several different ways about the babies. Alana didn't want to lose her place as the only girl and Hale liked his place as the baby. They were happy to have new siblings though, when it came down to it, and were happy for their parents.

When it came time to discussing names, Sookie thought that Thing 1 and Thing 2 (as Hale decided to call them until they had names) should be named after Eric's family. Alana had Sookie's Gran's name as her middle name and Hale's whole name was from Sookie's family. As a tribute to Sophie Ann, they named the twins Sara Ann and Andrew Eric. Sophie was moved to tears at the names and felt very honored.

While trying to prepare the house for two babies, they determined that it was too small for a family of six. Sookie placed the house on the market and they started house hunting. Staying in Shreveport was important for Eric's job, as he had become a partner in the law firm that gave him his start.

They found a huge house with five bedrooms, an office, a large kitchen and family room, and a big yard. They were able to close on it while the other house was still on the market due to Sookie's inheritance. They let Alana and Hale take their pick of the bedrooms and set up one of the spares as a guest room until the twins wanted their own rooms.

Moving day involved Eric, Jason, and Tray packing and moving while Sookie, with her 8-month pregnant belly, supervised and directed. Michele, Amelia, and even Pam came to offer assistance, but the heavy lifting went to the guys.

Pam had eventually moved on with her charity work, taking her philanthropy to Texas. She split her time between Shreveport and Houston. She had split with Dina, as she didn't feel it was fair to ask her to split her time as well. She was free and single, dating as often as she liked, never tying herself down to a single woman, until her hairdresser introduced her to his sister Miriam and that was all she wrote. They stayed together despite the amounts of time that Pam had to be on the road and were completely devoted to each other.

**X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.**

For the birth of the twins, Sookie had a scheduled c-section in mid-January. While prepping her for surgery, Eric paced nervously as he had when Hale was born, and Sookie had to threaten him with banishment (again) to get him to stop. He held her hand as she was wheeled into the OR and the anesthesiologist gave her the epidural. He was white as a sheet when they draped her to hide the incision and she ended up rubbing his hand in hers to calm him. Sara Ann was born two minutes before Andrew Eric. Each baby was held over the drape for mother and father to see before being taken to be cleaned and swaddled.

Eric went to the warming tables in the corner to watch the babies being tested, poked, and prodded while Sookie was sewn up. After the surgery was complete, she discovered the downside of a c-section. She had to sit in recovery until the epidural wore off and she could move her legs on command. She found it cruel to keep a mother who had just given birth away from her babies, but policy was policy.

She was finally wheeled back to her room to find Eric cradling a baby in each arm. They were only ounces different in weight and their features we so similar that if they weren't different sexes, she would have thought they were identical.

Seeing her large handsome husband handling the newborns with such gentleness and confidence melted her already tender heart. He immediately settled Sara and Andrew into her waiting arms. She was so mesmerized by their tiny faces and bodies that she was rendered speechless.

That night they were swamped by visitors. Jason and Michele brought Austin, Melanie, and their three-year old daughter, Hunter. Later, Sophie and Harley brought Alana and Hale. While they were visiting, Amelia, Luke, and Grace all arrived. Every single person that passed through the doors fell in love with the tiny, blond twins.

**X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.**

Around the time she was thirteen, Alana was forced to notice the physical differences between herself and her brothers and sister. A friend had asked her why everyone else in her family was fair and blond ("look like living Ken and Barbie dolls" was the actual quote). She had her biological father's olive complexion, black hair and dark eyes. She felt like she didn't fit and cried to her mom. Why was _s__he_ was so different.

Sookie had known this was going to come up sooner or later and had a tentative plan in her head. She left the three younger kids in their father's capable hands and took Alana out to lunch. She felt Alana was old enough to know more about her mother's life and her own as well.

She explained how her parents had died when she and Jason we young and had been raised by Gran. How she met Eric when she was fourteen and her friendship with him through high school and college. How they shared the duplex and had, for all intensive purposes, lived together. She didn't mention the whole "friends-with-benefits" part; it wasn't necessary to the story and no daughter wants to know _that_ much about her mother.

She described her little mental break that resulted in her leaving. She talked about her trips to Japan, Russia, and Ireland, saving the hardest bit of this part of her story for last.

She told Alana about Greece. About Corfu, Kaminaki, and Zander. She left the activities vague to a point, but admitted that _she_ had left _him_ and hadn't even known she was pregnant until she was in the Bahamas.

She explained the solitude on Andros Island and how that and her new baby girl and helped her heal enough to return home. Sookie felt the need to explain that she and Eric had needed several years to rebuild their friendship after she moved back to Shreveport. She told Alana that his trust in her had been destroyed when she left.

She told her daughter how they had fallen in love and that he loved Alana as well. It broke Sookie's heart to tell Alana about Zander signing away his parental rights, but she tried to explain it in a way that made him less slimy, so that Eric could become her legal father. As much hell as he had tried to put them through, she didn't want Alana to feel bad or ashamed of the man who was half of her.

After the epic storytelling, she asked if Alana had any questions. The girl was silent while eating her salad, looking contemplative. Sookie knew her well enough to know that she was filing things in her mind as to how she wanted to think about them. She didn't pressure her to speak, just ate her own food until Alana was ready to speak.

"So, let me get this straight. You were living with Dad, but you had some sort of breakdown and just left the country?" she asked finally

"I did. It was a tough decision that I had to make, but I really don't think your dad and I could have gotten to where we are today if I hadn't."

"And you met my father on a beach in Greece. You were together for two months, and you just left him too?"

Sookie noticed the different terms. "I did.".

"If you had stayed, would you still be with him instead of Dad?"

This was one of the questions Sookie had tried to think of an answer to without lying. "Honestly, Lana, I don't think so. He was not exactly a one-woman kind of man. But we were both young and irresponsible. I grew up. I don't think that he did."

"If you didn't love him, why did you have a child, me, with him?"

Sookie's throat tightened. "Baby, as soon as I heard your heartbeat inside me, I knew I couldn't love anyone more than I loved you. You made me a better person. And you will always be my baby girl, even as you're maturing into a young woman."

Tears formed on Alana's cheeks and she quickly tried to wipe them away. "Do you love Hale and the twins more than me because you love Dad and they're his?"

Sookie hopped out of her side of the booth to wrap her arms around her daughter. "Never, Sweetheart. I love you all the same. You are all special to me, in your own ways. But you were my first. My baby girl. And you're his too."

**X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.**

Sookie fixed the twins each a bowl of grapes for their afternoon snack and removed the game console from Hale's hands so that he had no choice but to interact with those in the room with him. She asked him about school, reminding him that report card would be coming out soon. Talked to him about his classes, what he was enjoying. He had no idea what he wanted to do when he grew-up, but he already had his father's athletic prowess and played Little League and football for his middle school team.

Seeing that Alana's door was still resolutely closed, Sookie went to talk to her daughter. She was as stubborn as her mother and just as hot-headed. Sookie wanted to calm her down so she wouldn't take her mood out on the children this evening.

She softly knocked and took the responding grunt as permission to enter. She found Alana sitting on her bed with her arms crossed over her chest. "What?" she asked rudely.

"Tone, Missy. I wanted to see if you would help me pick out an outfit to wear for your dad tonight. Maybe help me do my hair later?"

Alana was the make-over queen with her friends and tried not to give in to easily to helping her mom with the task. They went to Sookie's closet and looked over the possibilities. Even through three pregnancies and impending middle age, Sookie had kept a slender figure and easily looked ten years younger than her thirty-nine years. Alana flipped through outfit after outfit, stopping suddenly. "This," she said resolutely. "Definitely."

She held out a floor length dress. It was white with red roses printed on it. Sookie was about to object that it wasn't what she was thinking, but Alana was already on the floor looking for shoes. She popped up looking victorious, holding a pair of red peep-toe heels. "And these."

Sookie shrugged and checked the clock. Eric would be home in about an hour and a half. Enough tine to start dinner and get herself ready. "Lana, come help me make supper. I want to talk to you."

The went to the kitchen together. The twins had finished their grapes and had gone to the living room to watch TV, while Hale had hijacked his video game back and was playing intently at the table. Sookie rolled her eyes in his direction and went to the refrigerator. She pulled out the ingredients to make a simple chicken and rice casserole. Seeing the ingredients on the counter, Alana got the needed dish and started putting things together.

"Lana, I am sorry that you have to miss Austin's party tonight, and I owe you. Your dad and I haven't been able to go out for awhile and we need some time together."

"I get that, Mom. Hey, what about Grandma? Can she come out?"

Sookie thought. She thought that the twins and Hale would be a lot for Sophie to handle alone, but if Harley came with her... it was possible.

"You can call and ask her. If she _and_ Harley come. She can't handle all three of them alone."

Alana scampered off and called Sophie while Sookie put the finishing touches on the meal to put in the oven. She heard, "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" coming from the living room and assumed that Sophie and Harley would be coming by to watch the kids.

"Now, you have your own rules. Austin is too much like his daddy used to be. No drinking. No drugs. No random sex. No little trips into the woods without telling someone that you're going and who you're going with. And if you disregard all the other rules, at least be safe when you're being stupid. No driving after drinking or riding with someone who's been drinking. Don't go swimming if you're drunk; that's just asking for trouble. And, well, you know what safety is with the other rules," and wasn't pleased to see her daughter's cheeks turn pink. "And to be on the safe side, so you don't have to drive back late, stay at Uncle Jay's house tonight. Be back by tomorrow afternoon."

She got gratuitously thanked and both girls went upstairs to get ready. Sookie got in her shower, washed her hair and shaved. She smoothed herself with the coconut-lime lotion that Eric said made her smell like a margarita and put on the dress that Alana had picked out. She called Alana to help her with her hair and they decided down in loose curls was the way to go. She blow-dried her hair while waiting for the curling iron to heat up and Alana fixed her mother's hair in bouncy curls that flowed down her back and over her shoulders.

Alana was decidedly less formal. Her raven curls were pulled back in a pony-tail and she was wearing her bathing suit under a tank top and cut-off jean shorts. She didn't bother with make-up; she rarely wore it and didn't need it. She packed her overnight bag to spend the night in Bon Temps and went outside to throw it into her car.

Alana had gotten a work permit and started working part time over summers and weekends after she turned fourteen to earn money for a car. Her mom and dad offered to match her dollar for dollar. By her sixteenth birthday, she had saved enough that, with her parent's contribution, she was able to afford a beautiful 1968 Mustang that was in fixer-upper condition. She got Jason and Austin to fix it up as her birthday gift from them.

A month later, she had a purring, iridescent pearl-white convertible in her driveway and it was her baby. She had tyrannical rules that anyone who rode in "Baby" had to follow and anyone who broke the rules was banned indefinitely.

Alana paced, knowing that she wouldn't be able to leave until Sophie and Harley arrived to release her. She saw two cars pulling into the driveway. She hoped she would get to see her dad's reaction to Mom being all dolled up for him before she left.

She was one of the rare teenagers _not_ embarrassed by her parents showing affection openly, either to their kids or each other. Most of her friends had single parents or divorced parents and step-parents. Eric wasn't her father by blood, but he was the only man he could remember in her mother's life. It wasn't like they never fought or disagreed. But even when they argued, their love for each other shone through their irritation or anger.

She saw Eric talking to his mom and her husband in the driveway. Alana couldn't hear the conversation, but she could see her dad shaking his head with a smile. She went out to greet them all with hugs.

"Getting Grandma to do your dirty work, huh?" Eric asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

Sophie swatted his arm. "Hush, Eric. She's young and deserves to have fun. We're happy to take over."

Alana bounced under her dad's arm. "Grandma, dinner is almost ready. The kids love chicken and rice. Dad, Mom looks IN-credible!"

Eric raised his eyebrow. "I know you're going to Austin's party tonight. I've known his dad since he was Austin's age and Austin is _just_ like him. I'm assuming your mom has given you her rules. I'm going to give you mine." He waited for Sophie and Harley to go inside and sat with Alana on the porch.

"I'm guessing your mom told you no drinking, no drugs, no sex, right?" Alana nodded and he continued. "Austin, despite how like a young Jason he is, is one of the few teenage males I trust implicitly around you. I know that he loves you and looks out for you. If he is drunk, or distracted, and anyone tries or does something you're not comfortable with, you go back to the house and call me immediately. I'll come get you: no questions, no punishment, nada."

Alana tried not to look skeptical and failed. Parents always found a way to punish if their rules were broken. Eric noticed her skepticism and wanted to reassure her that he was sincere.

"When you mom was fourteen, she was dating a guy that was on my basketball team. He wasn't a nice guy. He took her to prom and after the dance, he tried to force himself on her. Only a well placed knee kept him from doing it. She didn't have a good relationship with Jason at that time and couldn't go to him, and she knew her grandmother would press charges against the guy and she didn't want to deal with that. When she ran, she came to me."

Alana was surprised that she didn't know about that. She had always had a pretty open relationship with her mom and wondered why this had never come up.

"I'm telling you this for a reason. I want you to feel like you can talk to your mother and myself about _anything_. You may think that we wouldn't be able to understand what you're going through. I can guarantee that between your mom and I, there's not a whole lot that we _haven't_ experienced. Now, go say goodbye to everyone before heading to the party. Have fun and be safe."

Eric was on the receiving end of a gigantic hug from his daughter before she bounced into the house. He heard her bound up the stairs to say goodbye to Sookie, the teasing farewells to her siblings, and an enthusiastic thank you (again) and goodbye to Sophie and Harley in the kitchen. She gave Eric another hug and a kiss on the cheek before getting into her car and driving off.

Eric watched her leave with apprehension, knowing that soon she would be dating, leaving for college, getting married. It was too fast for him to wrap his head around. He went in and went to change into more casual, but still nice, clothes for his date with his wife.

He went into their room and saw her standing there in that white dress with red flowers and the red heels and he couldn't help but growl a little. Her makeup was light, but she had the smokey-eye thing that he just loved and her hair was in big curls that bounced whenever she moved her head.

"Lover, I don't think I'm going to be able to leave you alone tonight when you look this amazing," he whispered in her ear and he wrapped her in his arms.

"Hold your horses, big boy. I have plans for later and I don't want you worn out," she giggled into his chest.

"The one thing you have never had to worry about is my ability to go for seconds... and thirds...and..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get the idea. But we're running late as it is and we do have a date," she reminded him and swatted his ass as she went downstairs to greet Sophie and Harley and say good night to the kids while Eric dressed.

A few minutes later he joined them, wearing dark black slacks and a gray button down shirt without a tie and Sookie had to remind herself that she was in front of her kids and his mom to keep from jumping him. She caught her eye and gave her the little smirk that made her think he could read her mind. They both kissed the kids and hugged Sophie and Harley before they headed out to the car.

They met Jason and Michele at a little hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant that they had stumbled on a few years ago and loved. They talked about the kids. Michele's mom was keeping the girls so Austin could have his party and they had promised him that they would stay at the house when they got back from their date. Sookie told Jason that Alana would be spending the night to keep her off the road so late at night and he was fine with that. They talked about their lives and the different things they had going on. They all enjoyed their meals and parted company full and happy.

Eric had splurged on a cherry red Corvette when he'd made partner and, though Sookie hated to admit it, she loved zipping down the road in it. She certainly didn't begrudge Eric finally being able to get his dream car and it made him happy. He drove through Shreveport and pulled into a scenic overlook where you could see all the lights of the city.

"What are we doing here?" she asked, knowing the answer once she turned her head and saw his eyes.

In response, he grabbed her head and kissed her hard. When they had to break to breathe, he said, "I've been waiting to do that all night," and began kissing her again.

The only downside to the 'Vette that she could think of was lack of room and rather quickly, that was what they needed more of. He got out, opened her door, and pulled her out of the passenger door. He sat her on his hood and began trailing his mouth over her neck and nibbling on her ear, making her pant.

Her hands worked on unbuttoning his shirt so she could run her fingers over the muscles of his chest and smiled when his abs involuntarily flexed against her touch and he growled again. He hands ran over her breasts, feeling her nipples harden under the filmy material of her dress. He started to pull the straps of her dress down her arms, but she stopped him. "I am not stripping down and going at it on your hood. Who knows who could show up here!" She was rather breathless when she said it and knew that the slightest argument could kill her resolve.

Fortunately, Eric agreed and they reluctantly got back in the car. The clock told them that the children would all be in bed and they could pick up where they left off in their own bedroom. They pulled in and woke up Sophie and Harley who were napping on the couch. Once they were on their way, the ran to their bedroom, their sanctuary, to resume.

As soon as the door was closed, Sookie pulled off the dress and let Eric see the white lace lingerie she had picked out with him in mind. She wrapped her in his arms again and ran his lips and tongue over her collar bone and shoulders while she worked on getting him as undressed as she was.

She pulled at the buttons of his shirt, but quickly became frustrated and mumbled, "Fuck it," before pulling the shirt apart, sending buttons flying all over the room. She pulled the shirt off and started working on his belt buckle. He had already managed to remove her bra and was reacquainting his mouth with her breasts, making it hard to keep her head on the task in front of her. She finally got the damn thing undone and saw that her husband had gone commando. She raised an eyebrow at him.

He smirked back. "I didn't think you'd complain about one less layer to worry about."

She sank to her knees in front of him and took his length in her mouth, always loving the power of making him come so undone and making him feel so good. She stroked what she couldn't take in her mouth and felt his hands fist in her hair, not pushing her head, just keeping himself anchored. She swirled her tongue around him and alternated suction until he was gasping and he pulled her up before he could finish.

He laid her down on the bed and he removed her little lace thong and tossed it over his shoulder with a grin. His lips teased and sucked on her nipples while his long, talented fingers entered her. "So wet," he moaned into her cleavage.

"Only for you, baby," she moaned, grinding on his hand. He ran his fingertips inside her over her G-spot and felt her body go rigid as she rode out the wave of pleasure he gave her.

He withdrew his fingers and quickly replaced them with his gracious length and she felt her back arc off the bed when he was completely in. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he pulled her up so she was essentially sitting on his lap with him inside her, moving so slowly and so deeply. Her arms wrapped around his neck and kissed him over and over, loving the taste of his mouth and his skin. Her fingers ran through his hair and his supported her at the small of her back. They moaned and whispered loving words to each other. Eric could tell by the movement of Sookie's hips that she was close and started moving his hips counter to hers until he heard her hoarse cries and she clenched down on him.

He laid her back down and rode her through her orgasm and she was amazed to feel another one building on top of the one that just finished. "Come with me, baby," she whispered and Eric thrust deeply and felt her go over, bringing him with her.

They curled around each other afterward, relaxed and sated. "Do you think we'll ever get tired of each other?" Sookie asked with a small smile.

"If we've lasted this long... I don't think so. It was always you for me, Lover. From the very beginning."

****Greek translations:**

**koritsaki: little girl**

**syzygo : hudband**

**tsoula: slut**

*****A/N: Well, there it is. Even though this has the little "C" next to it doesn't mean that I don't need reviews. Really, this was my labor of love and would really appreciate feedback since this is the FIRST ever story I have **_**EVER**_** written from beginning to end (no joke). Also, as Evy pointed out, this is wide open for possible outtakes and one-shots, so reviews help there also. Please let me know what you think of my baby.**


End file.
